Zelda's Awakening
by Tomas K
Summary: Link must defeat Maleficent (in a readaption of Sleeping Beauty), Ganon, and many others, all the while facing countless problems such as being in love with Hyrule's Princess. A seemingly never-ending adventure featuring many characters from the LoZ. Action/Adventure, Romance, Humor. ZeLink. Rated T for violence, sensuality, etc. Cover art by Luis Currasquillo.
1. Prologue

Summary:  
In yet another epic adventure, Link is forced to deal with more troubles in one life than he ever has before. In a readaption of the Grimm brothers' fairytale Sleeping Beauty, Link must defeat Maleficent to awaken Zelda, but his journey is far from over. He finds himself fighting love, Ganon, wars, nature, endless foes, and even his own feelings.

Jump to:  
Part 1: Malevolent Maleficent (Ch. 1-16)  
Part 2: The Return of Ganon (Ch. 17-30)  
Part 3: The Quest for Peace (Ch. 31-40)  
Part 4: Forbidden Love (Ch. 40-End)

Rated T for the following: violence, infrequent swearing, light sensuality, and other themes that may be inappropriate for young readers.

A few words from the author:  
This story is written in honor of Erich LaBeau, whose challenge to write Sleeping Beauty as a Zelda remake inspired me to create this epic, and Christine, my wonderful sister who spent some of the last months of her life helping me edit ZA. If you are not very famaliar with the whole Legend of Zelda series, you might want to research every name to get a better picture. This story is a hypothetical unification of the three timelines and includes many reincarnations of characters from most of the games as well as a few time-travelers.

Nintendo owns the Legend of Zelda and everything within it. All copyrighted material in this story belongs to its respective owners. This is a non-profit fan-made work, and I disclaim everything in this fanfiction with the exception of Lord Alhader, an original character of mine that has become iconic.

This tale is not a continuation or elaboration of the cannonical legends, but it takes most of its inspiration and groundwork from those legendery games. I hope you can find every reference and every homage and quotation included in this work. I recommend that you listen to Koji Kondo's masterpieces while reading. Enjoy!

000

Chapter 1: Prologue.

It all began in the Kokiri Forest...

A young woman scurried across the forest floor with a babe in her arms. Her dress was tattered and her exposed arms and face were covered in dirt, cuts, and bruises. With blue eyes and golden hair, her beauty still managed to somehow shine. As the light faded and the hour of twilight approached, there was a certain erie glow to the usually pleasant forest. Was Hyrule in for yet another attack on its purity? The woman came to a halt when she reached a huge tree, which oddly, had a face on it.

"O Great Deku Tree! Hearken to me! Terrifying creatures have raided my house and killed my husband, and though I have escaped, monsters are on my trail!" She let out a single pitiful sob and continued, "Please! Take my child and hide him! I will distract them!" She paused and then added quietly, "Even if I am not caught, I doubt I can live with these wounds anyway..." The poor woman was losing much blood from an injury in her torso. She lowered her gaze and silently let her tears fall from her eyes.

"Good woman, worry not. Thy faith hath made thee whole; thy courage is admirable and thy simple plan is good enough." The Tree spoke with an archaic tongue, evidence of his thousands of years of life.

The woman gave a heart-breaking smile and thanked the tree. "I knew I could depend on you, and for this I will be eternally grateful." Her somber face had a new radiance and her entire posture was bent on holding steadfast to her word.

"Thy idea of self-sacrifice is noble and unselfish, for you should know: thy child means more to the world than he does to thee. Yay, his destiny is heavy laden with burden and monumental purpose. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. Now lay the babe here and make haste and go." He amusingly gestured with his eyes to a log that was connected directly to his enormous trunk, covered in a mass of leaves and moss.

The woman laid the boy down and kissed him for the last time. "Farewell my child; no matter what my destiny and yours may be, I love you."

The Tree pressed her to leave. "I sense that evil is nigh. Take up thyself and go. May Din be with thee."

The Great Deku found himself trying to believe that the woman would be fine, but he should have known better than that. The monsters had been very active since the past week, and only he knew why: they seeked to eliminate the babe's chance for survival. The woman managed to thank the old Tree one last time, and then she left.

The Deku looked at the baby boy, who was coincidentally named Link, and spoke to him, though the child could not understand words yet. "Long have I served as the guardian spirit of this forest, but never have I felt so burdened as now I do. O little one, I see visions of thee. It seems ye will play a vital part in the destruction of evil. Thou hast so many trials ahead; for when it shall appear that thou hast defeated all thine enemies, ye will only find that thy last battle is still dreadfully far away."

The Tree paused and took notice of the abrupt changes in the forest; it was back to normal. "I sense that the monsters have left. They only seeked your parents' lives." He knew that Link's mother had probably been killed. "Wise though I am, I cannot raise an orphan. Saria, I summon thee to come to me on the marrow." The Tree let out an otherworldy sound and then closed his eyes and went to sleep with the babe that was in his leafy arms.

000

Author's notes:  
Critique, comments, questions, and suggestions, are strongly appreciated. Reviewing is encouraged in order to help me mold the story to fit the audience. The only format I can get fanfiction to accept is .txt; therefore, I will have to find replacements for italics and other special effects. Don't be surprised if you read something you recognize. Nearly every chapter will have things taken directly from the games and other places. 


	2. A Princess is Born

Chapter 2: A Princess Is Born

The two kings of Hyrule and Castilla*, Harkinian and Hubert* respectively, sat by themselves in the enormous royal dining room of Hyrule Castle. Harkinian and his wife Leah* had finally had a daughter after so many years of infertility.

Hubert stood up. "Harkinian, let us make a toast to the new member of your royal family."

Hubert spoke with an eloquent voice. He was a reserved man, exceedingly wise, kind to those he loved, but merciless to his enemies. Hubert had black hair and tan skin like his subjects, while Harkinian's hair was yellow and skin was fair. Harkinian was more of a jolly fellow characterized by a friendly chuckle, but despite his casual speech and harmless demeanor, people knew he was strong-willed and unreceptive to criticism to his plans. He only acted silly when he was relaxed, and his growing weight was firm evidence that he was relaxing often.

Both of the kings were exceedingly loved and respected by their subjects for their general fairness and excellent leadership. Due to their intimate friendship, their two kingdoms had become exceedingly close to each other economically.

"Ah, yes!" Harkinian rose to his feet with his wine glass, followed by Hubert. "To my new daughter!"

"To the princess!" Hubert replied.

Harkinian's smile beamed. "I have not been so happy since the day I was married. I always told my wife that the goddesses would eventually grant us an heir, and a fortnight ago, that prophecy came true. I am further gladdened that you will be staying for the christening."

"It is an honor to be a part of such an important ceremony for Hyrule. Besides, we have so many topics of smaller importance to go over. My family always enjoys our visits to Hyrule, and I am sure they will welcome the extra two days." Hubert had been taking his wife and children with him on his political conferences to Hyrule as a gesture of good-will.

After a long silence, Harkinian spoke, "Do you remember the oath we took this same day eleven years ago?"

Harkinian and Hubert had been meeting on the seventh of August as well as on the seventh of January for many years.

Hubert replied, "Are you referring to when you said, 'The day I have an heir will be the day our kingdoms can be officially united'?"

Apparently, Hubert's memory was very good.

Harkinian boomed, "Yes, exactly! Do you remember that you asked me what I meant?" Hubert nodded. "And that my answer was a betrothal? It was then that we took the oath to merge our kingdoms through marriage."

Hubert thought he detected a nonchalant tone in Harkinan's voice. He was not going to press the matter of that oath any further than need be.

"I am not going to hold you to some promise made in a half-drunken spirit. That plan was made years ago; it was meant to be a binding force between our kingdoms. They have since been united by other means. Such drastic measures are no longer necessary."

A frown quickly emerged on Harkinian's face. "Hubert, I was sober and said what I meant. The people are, though it may be silently, crying out for such a thing. So many times I have seen our people together, and they treat each other as brothers. Why, I recently saw some of our officers meet each other at the border, and they shook hands and had friendly conversation. Is that security? Certainly not! It is more like comradeship, if you ask me! And another thing," Harkinian's temper was becoming evident, "Every time a merchant passes between our borders, guards must search the caravans that they bring as part of proper protocol. How can trade properly function under these conditions? Such formalities are entirely unnecessary and causing waste." Harkinian changed his tone. "Hubert, we have always done what is best for our people. Trust me; this is the right thing to do. Now do this—for them—for me."

"I was not opposing the plan. If you truly believe this is for the greater good, it shall be done. I can see nothing the matter, but..."

Hubert paused in meditation. Castilla had always been the smaller, weaker, poorer kingdom of the two. In years past, it was either owned by neighboring countries or was oppressed by evil ones like Ganondorf. Rather recently, Hyrule had taken control of Castilla after yet another encounter with that menace of a Gerudo. Afterward, Hyrule had decided to let the Castillian people become independent, and they subsequently formed many city-states that eventually merged to form the United Kingdom of Castilla. Several centuries later, Castilla was now a staunch ally of its former master. Therefore, Hubert always believed that Castilla was rightfully a portion of Hyrule.

"I insist that this be not a simple union, but rather that Castilla be absorbed into the larger kingdom of Hyrule. Attempting to form a system controlled by both parties will only foster sectionalism. In my experience, dual-monarchies never succeed. Therefore, your daughter must be the sovereign, the flag yours, the headquarters Hyrule Castle, et cetera."

Harkinian scratched his beard. "Knowing you, I thought that would be your response. But what will your people think?"

"Hyrule has always treated its many tribes with respect. The partially autonomous regions of the Zoras, Gerudo, and Gorons are well off. I am sure my people would expect nothing more than a similar arrangement."

Harkinian took a moment to consider the far-reaching effects of his hasty offer. "Very well. It will not be an easy task, merging Hyrule and Castilla, but I have expected as much. Now as for the betrothal, obviously I am referring to the princess marrying young Phillip*."

"Yes, of course. Phillip is still an innocent young lad, but I will raise him to be as good a husband and prince as Hyrule is worthy of."

"Hubert," Harkinian put his hand on Hubert's, "never in my experience with the nobles of this world have I met a man such as you."

Just then Harkinian's wife asked a guard if she could speak to the two kings. The guard entered the room and bowed. "Your Majesty, the queen wishes to speak with you."

"Ah! Very good! Do send her in!" Harkinian was back to his jolly self and turned to Hubert. "My wife has had the audacity to not tell me whether our child's name is to be Christine or Victoria, but now I am certain she is ready to divulge her decision!"

The queen entered and gave her respects to King Hubert. "It is indeed good to see you again, Sire. Your visits to Hyrule are always a blessing."

"It is always a pleasure to be in such a glorious kingdom." Hubert paused and looked at Harkinian who responded with a nod. "Harkinian has reminded me of the idea for a betrothal." The queen, though not only aware of her husband's intentions to unite with Castilla, but also supporting of them, strangely gave an expression of distress.

Hubert continued, "This is all very well and I am happy to agree, but I demand that the arrangment be a formal annexation of Castilla by Hyrule. I am sure this is best, for my people will benefit greatly from the new central leadership in Hyrule." Harkinian had already told his wife that Hubert would probably ask for Castilla to be absorbed into Hyrule instead of a dual-monarchy being formed.

The queen sighed. "It seems all would have been fine, but I have some disturbing news." She was nothing like her usual optimistic self.

"Leah, what is the matter?" Harkinian was serious now. Any thoughts of asking her about the child's name had vanished. He hoped—no he knew—that there could be nothing wrong with his new daughter.

Leah sighed and sat down; it was going to be a long conversation. "I have been delaying telling you what our daughter's name is to be because I have been having visions. My dreams—it was all so subtle at first..." Hubert looked more uptight than usual, if that were even possible.

"Is there something wrong with our daughter?!" Harkinian's white face clearly showed that his family was his biggest weakness.

Leah quickly calmed his fears. "She is fine. But, there are...complications." The two kings gave her a puzzled look. "The first vision I received simply stated that she was destined to play a vital part in the destruction of evil. Then things became more vivid. I saw her...at many points in her life." The queen appeared to be just as puzzled as Harkinian and Hubert. "It seems she has inborn powers granted by the goddesses; she is to be a wielder of magic and great abilities. I have been told that our daughter must help our kingdom in a fight against evil." The queen paused to give them time to understand. "But most disturbing is the last vision I received: it is from this vision that I knew ahead of time when I was to give birth."

Harkinian knew his wife had prophetic abilities, but when she had announced the coming of their daughter the day before the princess's arrival, he thought something was up. He had forgotten to ask her about it.

Leah went on, "A person resembling the goddess Hylia spoke to me in this last vision and said these words: 'Tomorrow thy daughter will be born. In her person is to be my divine power of old. The child's name is to be Zelda, for she has great importance in this land."

"Zelda!" Harkinian nearly screamed. "How can this be?! The legends—I always knew there was truth in them—but this is unbelievable! Are you saying that our child is the reincarnation of Zelda?!"

Queen Leah did not know; she looked bitter and worried. "I only wish I could understand more. I have had many other dreams as well, but I cannot decipher them."

Harkinian turned to Hubert who had been quiet all this time. "Hubert, have you ever heard of Hyrule's ancient histories?"

"Though my knowledge is limited, I do know of Hyrule's Legend of Zelda. According to the legend, ever so many years the spirits of Hylia, the Hero, and the Evil One are reborn into mortals. It is the Hero's job to defeat the Evil with the help of Hylia's powers which are to be housed in the Princess Zelda. If this is all really happening, it seems you have only revealed the indentity of one of the three. Does not the legend of the Triforce go along with this story also?"

Harkinian frowned. "I see you are well acquainted with these legends. And to answer your question, yes. The three Triforce parts are to be given to the people you mentioned." Harkinian paused in meditation. "That means—that means that our child has the Triforce of Wisdom." He buried his face in his hands. "Oh, how can this be!"

Queen Leah looked bewildered but determined. "Harkinian, our baby's hand...it—it has a barely noticeable tan coloured...triangle."

Hubert was forced to take the optimistic side for a change; Hyrule's royals looked as though they had just signed away their kingdom. "Although this may mean that hard times are ahead for this land, it also means that your daughter is a special person, one chosen by the gods themselves. This in no way sways my decision of marrying Phillip to...Zelda." Hubert was the first one to actually refer to her with that name—that name Zelda! It is filled with meaning beyond the power of words!

Harkinian sighed and said, "Hubert, this is our problem—Hyrule's problem—but I am thankful that you always are willing to give your support." Harkinian had finally calmed down, but he still seemed depressed.

Hubert spoke again, "We all must do our part to try to protect Hyrule from this man—his name is Ganondorf or simply Ganon, correct?"

Harkinian nodded. "Ganon, Vaati—they are all the same: evil."

"This man will have the Triforce of Power; it shall not be easy to stop him. We need the Hero, do we not?" Hubert seemed anxious to start preparations for an event that might not come for decades.

The king of Hyrule wished his daughter did not have to bear such a large responsibility. "Let us forget this for now. Tomorrow is her—Zelda's christening. We will simply tell the people we named her after one of the princesses of the legends." Harkinian looked angry; not angry with anyone but upset that he would have to eventually see such turmoil in his land...or would he?

Leah spoke up again, "I agree. Let us get a good night's rest. I am sorry this had to be revealed while you were here, King Hubert."

Hubert was again acting pessimistic. "One cannot argue with destiny. It is our fate to deal with whatever the world gives us."

000

Author's Notes:

*Castilla or Castile is a Spanish province and was formerly a kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula. It has no connection to the Legend of Zelda.

*Hubert, Leah, and Phillip are characters from Sleeping Beauty and have no connection to the Legend of Zelda. 


	3. The Curse

Chapter 3: The Curse

Harkinian and his wife sat on their thrones in the oval shaped Royal Chamber. The entire room was a structural marvle. A circular dome covered the whole area, and at the very center of this dome was a circular skylight; the light from there shined directly on top of where a guest stood while speaking to the king or queen. Huge pillars supported the thirty-foot ceiling, which had many scenes depicted on it from the legends of old.

Their new daughter, who was to be announced as Zelda today, sat in a crib next to her parents. She was remarkably quiet and relaxed; the king and queen had never seen a baby that did not cry every hour. Since they had their daily duties running the kingdom, their daughter's care had been entrusted to Impa.

Impa was a Skeikah, a group of people that had once protected the royal family, but all of her brethren had either died, left the kingdom, or intermarried, leaving Impa as the last official member of her tribe. She had white hair, which had a ragged style to it, and her face had been painted around one of her eyes. As with most Sheikah, her skin was well-tanned and tough from exposure to the sun. Her clothes looked like a ninja's. She wore a blue one-piece with a Sheikah eye figured prominently on the chest. With subtle makeup, her face was an unreadable oval with straight lines and accusing eyes. Impa was a tall warrior of great athletic strength—not someone to mess with. At least three daggers were hidden in her clothes.

Impa had once accompanied Queen Leah on her journeys as an adviser and bodyguard, but Impa had since resigned that position to become Zelda's nanny and guardian. She certainly had all the qualities for this monumental occupation. Impa was motherly but stern, a good teacher, and knowledgeable in many fields. She even knew some magica, and it was rumored she could teleport fifty feet without losing her breath. When Harkinian announced that he was looking for a caretaker, companion, and guardian for Zelda, Impa immediately volunteered. Now she stood beside Zelda, ready to do anything for the princess.

A man entered the room from a huge doorway that was guarded on both sides by fully armored soldiers. "Your Majesty, some...er," the messenger hesitated, unsure what word to use that would not be disrespectful, "boisterous fairies entered the castle grounds and demanded that they be taken to the princess. They claim that the Great Fairy sent them to bless Hyrule's future queen."

Harkinian got up from his slouched position. "Did they tell you their names?"

The messenger looked down at a scroll (as though he could not remember three simple names). "Navi, Tael, and Tatl of the Kokiri Forest, sent by the Great Fairy herself and guided to this location by the honorable Great Deku Tree."

Harkinian gave a grunt of recollection. "The names are familiar. Secretary Renado once mentioned them in one of his reports on Kokiri. Let them come. They can mean no harm, and if this fairy business has any validity, their blessings will be accepted with appreciation."

"As you wish, Sire." The messenger bowed and then walked away to bring the fairies.

Queen Leah placed her hand on Harkinian's arm. "My husband, it will very soon be time to announce our child to the people. Many of them have congregated in the town square to welcome the princess."

"Very well," the king got up, "Impa, prepare the child for her first appearance to Hyrule's citizens."

Impa had already been told that the princess's name was to be Zelda, but she was not told why. In ancient Hyrule, the firstborn princess had always been called Zelda, but in recent times, the name had fallen out of disuse. Still, Impa thought it was totally fitting and believed the name signified that the girl was to be an important figure in history. Little did she know that the royal family were already aware that Zelda was destined to be one of great importance. It would only be a matter of time before Impa noticed the faint triangular mark on Zelda's hand and realized that for herself.

000

The royalty stood on a balcony of the castle that faced the large town square. It had been made specially for speeches and other announcements from the royalty and other goverment officers to the common people. Impa held the child in her arms as Harkinian made a long, boring speech to his subjects.

He finally concluded, "I pray that the goddesses will guide our new daughter and make her a queen worthy of Hyrule and your loyalty. I present you Princess Zelda! Named after the Chosen One of the legends." His lie really was not a lie. He merely was not telling his subjects the reason why they had chosen that name.

Impa stepped forward and held up the child for all to see. As if on cue, Zelda cried out with a babyish sound that somehow seemed like a greeting. The crowd roared, "Three cheers for the princess!" The people stretched out their hands toward her in salute. "Long live the royal family!" And with that, any hope of Harkinian or anyone else speaking was destroyed as the people began to sing the national anthem. Hubert, who had stood on Harkinian's left, looked at the people and knew at that moment that he had done the right thing by giving Castilla to Hyrule. Never had he seen such fervent followers of such a respected monarch of such a great kingdom. He almost felt that maybe he could be Hylian himself. He almost wanted to sing along with them.

Hubert burst out with pride. "Congratulations, King and Queen of Hyrule. This moment will forever be in my heart." Hakinian and Leah nodded gratefully. Hubert looked so happy for once; generally he contained his emotions.

As the song ended, Harkinian remembered his other announcement: the betrothal of Phillip to Zelda. He gestured to the man behind him named Gaepora, who was the commanding officer of Hyrule's armies on the field, to send in the Castillian prince.

Poor little Prince Phillip—he did not have the slightest idea what was happening. He had been suddenly taken from playing with his sister in the castle garden and told that he was to meet the girl he would one day marry. Braving the crowd was enough, but trying to comprehend that this baby was to one day be his wife was utterly perplexing for his five-year-old mind.

Harkinian raised his hand to quiet the people. "My countrymen, it is my honor to present King Hubert of Castilla." Hubert stepped up and a quieter, though still hearty, applause accompanied him. The people knew him in name only, but they were aware that he was respected by the royal family and the rest of the royal court.

Hubert put his hands out to the sides. "People of Hyrule, lend me your ears. I have an important announcement to make! Yesterday, King Harkinian and I agreed on a betrothal between Princess Zelda and my son Phillip!" He motioned for his son to step up. He was a small lad, with black hair and tan skin, like his father. He bowed with an air of a true gentleman many years his senior.

Hubert continued, "On the day of Zelda's eighteenth birthday, she will be married to Phillip, and Castilla will officially become a province of Hyrule. This peaceful union between our two nations will ensure Castilla's future and make Hyrule an even greater nation than it already is." The deafening cheering that followed clearly showed the people's approval.

Harkinian stepped up again. "I thank you all for coming here today; your devotion is greatly appreciated. May the goddesses protect you and bless our actions and continue to guide us to do what is best." Harkinian then thought it best to warn the people subtly. "If there ever comes a time when all seems lost, remember this: the goddesses are watching over us," he looked back to his wife and child, "and my family will always be here to help you. If you are on the right side, you cannot lose. Now I shall not take away any more of your time. Please return to your duties with my thanks." The crowd then let out a Hylian cry that meant "it is good, let it be, etc." and dispersed.

000

Back in the royal chamber, many more guards had been posted along the side of the hall to keep an eye on the three fairies hovering next to the messenger that had let them in. Harkinian, Leah, and Hubert returned to their places while Impa returned the sleeping princess to her little bed.

Harkinian finally said, "Bring the fairies here."

The messenger gestured to Navi, who had been the spokesman of the three, and walked up to the throne with the fiaries' lights humorously flying around him.

Harkinian squinted his eyes at the fairies then said to the messenger, "You may go." The messenger bowed, then left.

Harkinian sighed and asked, "So, you are Navi, Tatl, and Tael of the Kokiri Forest?"

Navi replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. We have each come to bestow a blessing on the princess."

Queen Leah intervened. "We know fairies have special abillities, but just how have you obtained these 'blessings'?"

Navi again spoke, "The Great Fairy gave each of us a blessing from a goddess to help this chosen child do her part."

Navi's strange reference to Zelda caused several heads to turn, making Harkinian hope no one suspected anything. The king, queen, and Hubert looked at each other knowingly: the blessings were probably another part of the enigma they were all involved in.

Harkinian then noticed the awkward fluttering of the fairies. "We are exceedingly thankful for what you have been sent to do. Please proceed as you were told."

"Very well." Navi flew alarmingly fast to the cradle Zelda was in and locked eyes with hers. "Most high Goddess Nayru, grant me the power entrusted to me for this princess."

The fairy then spoke some weird language. When she was finished, a magical wand appeared in her hand and Navi looked as though she were being controlled by an outside force. She played around with the wand a little and then jerked it downward, pouring fairy dust on Zelda.

"Since you already have wisdom and magic,"—Harkinian became tense at these words; now he knew the guards were going to spread rumors about Zelda for sure—"Nayru gives you the gifts of beauty and music." With that, the wand disappeared and Navi bowed before the royalty, appearing to have regained consciousness, and then went back to her fellow fairies.

Tael moved up to Zelda next and did his part. "Your Grace Din, I beseach you to help your loyal servant to complete the task you have given him."—Tael referred to himself in the third person.— "May your gift be now given to the Chosen One."

With that a similar phenomena occurred as before. He spoke the same words Navi did, and a wand appeared in his hand. He then sprinkled the fairy dust off the wand onto Zelda and spoke with another voice, "Din grants sacred power to enhance the magical abilities of the Princess of Hyrule."

Everyone in the room was awestruck. Here were three simple fairies supposedly bestowing gifts from the three divine goddesses themselves. Tael returned to the other two fairies, but just as Tatl was about to move forward, an unnatural green orb appeared near the ceiling of the room. Black streaks of dark magic poured down, prompting the royal guards to draw their spears. A dark, lithe figure slowly appeared Twilight style, and Harkinian stood up to get a better look.

The figure spoke, "Ooooh! I see you have called the little fairies to do magic tricks for the new princess!" The unknown woman, who was an ugly bag of flesh, emphasized the word "princess" and questioned, "How could you have forgotten to invite me? Am I not the biggest fairy in these parts?"

Harkinian looked ready to bite. "Maleficent, you are no fairy. You. Are. A. Witch."

Maleficent* was a Hylian, though she certainly did not look like one. In reality, she was an old woman, of nearly one hundred years, but she had used dark magic to transform herself into a tall, greenish hag to stop herself from aging. She wore a slick black dress that clinged to her skinny frame and flared into tight asymmetrical projections around her legs. Her face was hideous, with a razzer-sharp nose and jet black hair. In her left hand she wielded a magical staff that she housed her dark magic in. Witch was certainly the perfect word for her.

Many years ago when Harkinian's mother Ophelia* ruled Hyrule, Maleficent had been banished because of her usage of forbidden magic and attempts at sorcery. She had since been living in a ominous-looking building that she created on some rock structures in a wasteland not far from Death Mountain and the Gorons. She had never dared to return to Hyrule but instead concentrated on perfecting her magic and gathering a small army of goofy monsters called Goons.

Maleficent played up that she was hurt by Harkinian's words. "A witch? Is that all the respect you have for me?!"

Hubert was totally transfixed by Maleficent. That witch, whom he was never told about, was reeking with supernatural power that made his body feel queasy. He had never seen powerful magic before.

Leah stood up and addressed Maleficent. "The royal decree of your exile still stands. Your presence here endangers yourself. Our soldiers have orders to kill you on sight."

Harkinian had had enough. It was a great chance to kill that darn witch. "Guards! You heard the queen! Carry out the order!" The two knights at the doorway drew their swords and then joined the other guards, surrounding Maleficent. They lunged forward to attack but then—

"HUH-HAA!" Maleficent stretched out her sceptre and a green orb appeared around her, making the soldiers fall backward. From the protection of this orb she spoke with an echo, "So! You want this done the hard way? You could have had a chance to get me on your side, but now you have alienated me!"

Queen Leah stayed calm and decided it was best to just try to get Maleficent to go. "You were already alienated years ago by the late queen, whom we respect greatly. We do not want to take your life." Harkinian certainly did. "However, you are not to come here any more. Please leave. Now."

Maleficent had an arrogant look on her face. "As you wish, but let me leave you with one reminder of my power:" Maleficent went into a trance and spoke in an unnatural voice, "Cursed is your daughter! Behold my prophecy! On Zelda's sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger and DIE!" With that, the heartless villain swept her arm in front of her and disappeared.

Harkinian balled his fist. "Damn you Maleficent!"

Leah looked ready to cry, and Impa chastised herself inwardly for not slitting that witch's throat while she had the chance.

Hubert felt like he was dreaming. Still unaware of the woman's true identity, he asked, "Surely she is only making this up to scare us?"

Leah calmed herself and answered, "I wish I could believe that, but if she manages to personally commit the act, we may lose Zelda."

"Fret not, my Queen!" Tatl moved forward. "I can weaken her curse with the blessing of Farore!"

Harkinian would rather kill Maleficent as soon as possible, but his daughter needed protection just in case. "Tatl, any help on your part will be greatly appreciated."

"Thank the goddesses! I only hope I can execute this."

Tatl prayed to Farore and then became enveloped in a chunk of fairy dust. Instead of putting it on Zelda as the others did, she let the ball of dust around her explode. That was all she needed to do.

She explained, "The curse cannot be stopped, so I have altered it to meet these conditions: on the day of Zelda's sixteenth birthday, if she shall prick her finger, she will not die but fall into a deep sleep from which she can only be awakened by true love's first kiss." After speaking, Tatl fell to the ground completely exhausted, and the other fairies flew to her.

The guards looked to the king for orders. Harkinian shouted back, "Bring Gaepora here! I want Maleficent tracked down!" One of the soldiers ran to get the general.

Hubert spoke after considering their current predicament. "On the larger scale of things, we absolutely cannot allow any harm to come upon Princess Zelda, for she has an important purpose that far exceeds any of our selfish reasons for wanting her to live. She must be protected at all costs."

000

Author's Notes:

*Maleficent is a character from Sleeping Beauty and has nothing to do with the Legend of Zelda.

*Ophelia is a only a character and has nothing to do with the Legend of Zelda. 


	4. Life in Kokiri

Chapter 4: Life in Kokiri

For months, Gaepora and his armies searched the outskirts of Hyrule for any sign of Maleficent, but unfortunately, they ignored the rock formations in the wastelands outside Death Mountain—Maleficent's home—because that region was technically part of another faraway kingdom. No humans lived in the Wastelands and no life existed there aside from some daring animals and a few Stalchildren.

General Gaepora made his final report. "We have searched every alley and every wood, but no trace of Maleficent is anywhere to be found."

Harkinian finally decided that he would have to send Zelda away to protect her from any future attacks by Maleficent. He told Impa, Zelda's loyal guardian, to go alone with the princess into the Kokiri Forest, the place where Zelda was to reside until the curse expired or Maleficent was dead. Impa was to take care of all of Zelda's needs and be her teacher of everything. They were to stay together and live off the land for as long as necessary.

Preparations were made under complete secrecy as Impa personally gathered all the things she and the baby princess would need for their new life. Since Impa would not be able to return to Castle Town for a long time and sending supplies to Kokiri would be too risky, the king and queen arranged to have some fairies ensure Zelda's safety and livelihood by acting as messengers and carriers for delivering small things.

The royal couple were then forced to mournfully give up their baby and lie to their people for many years to come about the princess's true fate. Harkinian and Leah eventually decided to tell Impa the truth about Zelda, and to their surprise, Impa hardly seemed moved by the revelation. She had been suspecting that such was the case the whole time: Zelda was the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom.

000

In Kokiri, Zelda quickly learned to talk and developed a love to be outdoors. Life went on simply and happily without the evil influences of the world. For Impa, it seemed that time in the forest never elapsed, but Zelda's rapid growth was evidence that the seasons were passing quickly. Before long, the princess was five years old and ready to learn.

Sometimes Zelda would meet other people in the woods like Saria, but Impa always told her to avoid contact with others; therefore, she had no friends. Although Zelda did not notice, Saria and her brethren were a strange people; they never grew to adult size and were locked in permanent childhood. Saria and her kind wore green exclusively and all had a fairy partner. Three particular fairies Navi, Tael, and Tatl, who had been the carriers of the Golden Goddesses' blessings, often visited Zelda and Impa at the order of the king to make sure everything was okay.

The Great Deku Tree was honored to have Zelda in his forest. He knew that she and the boy he had taken under his watch five years earlier were destined to play a vital part in the destruction of evil. With Saria's sweat and his wisdom, he had been teaching the boy Link everything he would need to know for his future adventures. For a five-year-old, Link showed excellent skill with his wooden sword, but he did not talk very much and was not a good people person. The Great Deku was determined to overcome those traits and often spent hours talking with Link and training him.

"Link, show me a helm splitter upon that sack yonder."

Link nodded and quickly executed the attack on the obstacle hanging from one of the Tree's branches.

"Ha ha ha! Thou art getting better every day. Now then Link," The Great Deku was interrupted by Saria calling in the distance.

"Liii-innnk! Come–ere!" Saria stood outside the house she had raised Link in.

Link looked up at the Deku who nodded, and then the boy in green ran over to Saria.

"That child's speed is unbelievable," the Tree thought to himself.

"There you are!" exclaimed Saria.

Saria's face was cute and shone with her love of Link. She had taken care of him since he was only months old, so sometimes she felt like an older sister to him—maybe even like his mother. Saria had green hair and a petite physique that made her seem much like a child, but she was determined to be a good example for him.

"Link, I need you to gather some mushrooms for me deep in the forest."

He nodded and Saria handed him a basket. The job was nothing new to him. Link often picked mushrooms and then brought them home for Saria to look over. Many a time he had accidentally gotten the wrong ones and come home with a rash on his hands and poison in his basket, but he was getting better at recognizing the different species.

"Get as many as you can before it gets dark and then come home, and I will have a nice dinner waiting for you," Saria told him.

Link smiled as she lovingly stroked his hair. Then he was off—fast as a hare and nimbly as a fox.

000

In another house in Kokiri, Impa sat comfortably sowing a blouse for Zelda as the girl read a history book. Being supernaturally smart, little Zelda was getting bored of reviewing the same things over and over again.

"Oh Impa! May I please go outside? The weather is so delightful!" Zelda saw Impa's face swaying negative, so she quickly thought of a good excuse. "I could pick some berries! They are at perfect ripeness right now."

"Now, now Zelda," Under normal circumstances Impa would have called her "princess," but it had been ordained that Zelda would not be told of her real origins until she was old enough to accept everything, "You know you must study your books. You are falling behind in history."

"Oh, but Impa, that is not true! I have been so studious! I even know every legend's main points and their chronological order as well!" Zelda used words difficult for some adults, and yet she was only five.

"Fine, I will make a deal with you. I will ask you five questions, and if you get 'em all correct, you can go outside—and pick those berries you are dying for."

Perhaps Impa should have been using more proper language. After all, Zelda learned her speech from Impa exclusively. The Hylian princess was likely to sound like a Sheikah by the time she was sixteen.

Zelda looked obviously worried, but it was worth a try. "I am ready." She wanted to appear confident.

Impa continued sowing mechanically and decided to start Zelda off with a question she should definitely know. "Who was the Zora that the Hero of Time got the Zora Armor from?"

"Ruto, one of the Seven Sages."

"What city did the Hero of Time save after he became lost while looking for his fairy?"

"...Termina!"

"What city did one of the Heroes save from the sorceress Veran?"

"...Labyrnna?"

"Correct. The meaning of the name of Princess Zelda, whom you are named after, is?"

Zelda looked sunk. "..."

Finally a light bulb appeared.

"It is!...um...one of great importance!"

"You are doing well. Only one more: in the Legend of Twilight, what did the evil King Zant take from Midna aside from her throne?"

"The Fused Shadows!"

"Excellent. You have earned your outting, but—" Zelda really hated those buts. "Before you go, spell Ganondorf."

In the Hylian language, that was no easy task.

Zelda spelled it out slowly. "G. A. N. O. N. D...O. R. F...F."

Impa corrected her. "Only one _f_. Now run along, but be back soon and don't forget: stay away from strangers."

Zelda could care less. She already had her shawl on and was ready for some fun outside. It was too bad she could only pick berries though. Maybe there was something else in store for her?

000

Deep in the forest, Link was kneeling under a big oak tree and digging out the huge red-spotted mushrooms he had found there. Rays of the slowly setting sun shone through the woods, blocked here and there by the lush folliage of spring. A quiet pond was not far away where fish and tadpoles swam happily—that is unless they were being scooped up by a hungry stork. The air was crisp and smelled of coming rain and berries.

Berries?

Link had not noticed the berry bushes right around the corner. They looked exquisite and full of juicy blue fruit. He decided to pick one and bring it home and ask Saria if they were good to eat. But before he could grab one, he was startled by a pleasant voice.

"Hello!"

"...Wha!"

Link quickly dropped everything and did a forward flip. He landed with his face toward the "enemy" that was behind him and his sword in his left hand, ready for battle. He pointed his sword's spiky tip threateningly at the person who had had the audacity to creep up on him.

"Don't hurt me! I'm just a little girl. My name is Zelda. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Zelda smiled beautifully and courtsied. Holy Nayru, with her mannerisms, she seemed more like a lady than a five-year-old. She was the perfect image of a young princess and quite a chatterbox.

"...I'm Link."

Link looked at Zelda stupified and in total disbelief. Little Hylian girls did not usually pop out of nowhere. He eyed his surroundings to make sure she was not a distraction for a possible ambush.

Zelda tried to dissipate his fears. "I hope I did not startle you. May I help you pick those up?" She pointed at what he had dropped.

Link obviously had thought Zelda was a monster. Next time she would have to remember to speak to him when she was five yards away, not five inches.

Link's mushrooms were all over the ground, and he mumbled as he went to reach for them, "It's okay, I got it."

Zelda went to help him anyway, and they both awkwardly emptied their dirty, mushroom-laden hands into Link's basket at the same time.

Zelda giggled. "You are not one of the Forest Children, right?"

"No."

Zelda obviously wanted to be friends, but drab Link was not getting the idea.

"Neither am I. I have lived in the Kokiri Forest with my nanny Impa since I was a baby, but Impa says that my parents and I come from Castle Town. Strangely, she will not tell me much about my mother and father though." Zelda's voice trailed off as she pondered over that one thing that always bothered her.

"I'm an orphan" Link blurted out as though it were something to be proud of.

"I am sorry to hear that. Surely you do not live here all by yourself though?" Zelda cocked her head to one side, remembering that she should be a little suspicious. He was a stranger!

"Saria takes care of me. The Great Deko, uh...Deku...teaches me...stuff."

"You actually know the Great Deku Tree?!" Zelda had read about that Tree in Hyrule Historia and many other books.

"Yeah?" Link thought nothing of it.

Zelda's energy level quickly spiked. "Is he the same one from the legends!?"

Link knew about the legends from the Deku Tree's stories, but he knew that his Tree was not the same one she was probably thinking of.

"No."

Zelda sensed that Link was bored so she changed the topic. "I am suppossed to be picking berries, but I have to go home soon before it gets dark."

"Do you want to eat at my house?" the very green boy offered.

Where did Link get such sudden boldness from? He never really had any friends or playmates because the Forest Children did not like him. But now he was inviting a complete stranger to his home? Something about Zelda made him open up without hesitance. There was some kind of connection going on. Zelda really wanted to go with him for some reason too, but she had her qualms.

"Oh! I would love to! But Impa will kill me..." Zelda was formulating a story in her mind to tell Impa about getting captured by monsters—but wait a minute! She could not lie! Oh, no, Zelda was determined to be a good girl.

Link looked terrified. "She'll really kill you?!" He probably did not get around much.

"No, silly! The worst thing she might do is send me to bed without supper and give me double homework." Zelda was swaying more and more to going with Link anyway.

"No problem. You will already have had dinner, and you won't have to do any homework until she finds you." Link grinned mischievously and was proud he got all those words out without pausing.

000 


	5. Unexpected Guest

Chapter 5: Unexpected Guest

Link and Zelda skipped their way to Saria's house with his basket of mushrooms and her basket of berries. Jumping over thick tree roots and bending their heads for low hanging branches, Link and Zelda were the perfect picture of juvenile happiness. Link stopped at a small, cozy house and opened the door with a gesture for Zelda to follow. Walking in without so much as a knock?—that certainly was not polite according to Zelda's etiquette book.

Link called out, "I'm back." Saria turned from the pot on the stove and laid eyes on the girl hiding behind Link.

"Uh, this is my friend...Zelda. Can she eat with us?"

When Link did speak, his words were without emotion and very blunt.

Saria put her hands on her hips. "Aren't you a little young to be bringing home girlfriends, young man?"

Zelda giggled, but Link did not get the joke. He did know that Saria was not being serious though, so he just stared at her, waiting for the real response. He did not really care for levity even at his age.

Saria's facade crumbled with a chuckle. "Of course she can! It's good to see that you finally found yourself a friend." Saria got out three bowls and started filling them with soup.

On the table was a simple white tablecloth, a loaf of bread on a cutting board with a knife, and salt. Link got out three plates and spoons, while Zelda took the time to observe Link's surroundings and compare them with hers.

Zelda's house was small, but it was filled with things from castle town: quality dishes, weapons, books, more books, some store-bought furniture, trinkets, gold coins hidden in odd places, and expensive fabrics—oh yes, and some books.

Link's home was even simpler than hers. The kitchen consisted of a coal stove, a work table, and some built-in cabinets for storing nonperishable food and dishware. The table looked as though Link himself had made it. The top was an uneven square wood plank that had four rectangular solids supporting it. How the feet were securely attached to the top, only Din knows. Two dressers with clothing in them and some chests filled with Link's gear were the only other pieces aside from the beds. Two beds of exactly the same appearance, aside from the patterns of the abstract quilts lying on top of them, sat beneath a window that was situated directly in between the two beds. The bare necessities was all Link and Saria had.

As Zelda was soaking it all in, Saria cut them some bread, and Link was busy trying to eat his soup without slurping. Saria noticed Zelda's apparent lack of appetite. The girl was lost in thought.

"The stew may look ominous, but it is loaded with good-tasting vegetables," Saria assured Zelda.

"Oh, excuse me."

Zelda began to eat her soup with the manners of a princess. Link noticed that she spooned away from herself and tried to duplicate the correct procedure. Zelda took off a small piece of her bread and buttered it, and again, Link tried the same. Of course, he was failing misersably in his attempt to copy the transcendent subtleties of Zelda.

Saria broke the silence. "It has been a long time since I've seen you, Zelda. I thought you were gone for good."

Link looked a little uneasy to find out that his "big sister" knew Zelda. Saria had once spoken to Zelda in the woods, but Impa had rudely interrupted that meeting and told them both to avoid each other's paths. Saria supposed that Impa was a snobbish governess who had been entrusted with the girl Zelda, whom she assumed was probably from a family of high standing. But why was she living in the forest?

"Yes, Impa does not approve of my being with other people." Zelda seemed saddened by her situation.

Saria wondered if she should rebuke Zelda for disobeying or commend her for doing what was best for herself. After all, locked in the house with that feelingless woman would surely make Zelda a hermit.

Zelda hoped out loud. "I wish I could go see my parents; Impa will not speak about them though."

"Why have your parents left you with that wom—Impa?" Just as Saria expected, Zelda probably had wealthy parents.

"I don't have any idea. I've been left alone for no reason. It's not that I am ungrateful. Impa is good to me, and this forest is a beautiful place to live, but I wish I knew who my parents are!" Zelda's emotions were getting the best of her.

Link awkwardly continued eating and listening, praying that she would not cry. Whether he realized it or not, Link had already developed most of his character. He felt that the problems of the world were too great on their own and that displaying one's emotions just made things worse. He would rather not speak than say something that might be hurtful. Link probably did not understand his own actions and philosophies; nevertheless, that was the way he approached life and the way he always would.

000

In another part of Kokiri, the three fairies hastily navigated through the forest with the last hours of sunlight.

Navi encouraged the two behind her. "Don't tire yet! I can see the house."

Tael chipped in, "Yeah, and I don't suppose you thought of a good way to call Impa to open the door. Last time she couldn't hear your screams because she had cotton in her ears."

Tael was obviously annoyed that they might have taken another exhausting journey just to be forced to wait until morning to get inside Zelda's house.

Navi flew backwards to face Tael. "Stop being so pessimistic. I doubt she has a headache again."

Impa sometimes put cotton in her ears to block out the outside world and lessen the pains in her head that she often suffered from.

"She had better not! I haven't eaten since morning!" Tatl was not her usual agitatingly giddy self.

The three fairies had been sent to check up on Zelda again. They often visited the Great Deku Tree and Saria and Link too. However, Link personally disliked the fairies because of their annoying chatter. He especially hated how they always tried to remind him to do things that he had already done.

000

In Zelda's house, Impa was quickly getting on her gloves.

"Why can't that girl ever listen?"

Impa was tired of having to go fetch Zelda every time she ventured into the woods. She attached a small knife to her lower leg to be safe and unlocked the door and slammed it open.

000

When the three fairies arrived at Impa's house, Navi looked throught the key hole and saw Impa up and about. "No need to worry. No headache this time."

"Great. I'm starved." Tatl looked weak. Actually on second thought, she was probably just feigning that she was weak.

Navi got a twig to knock on the door with, but just as she was about to hit the door—WHAM! Impa opened the door giving it a one-hundred-eighty-degree turn, smashing Navi against the wood of the house.

Tael screamed, "Navi!"

Impa was surprised to see the two fairies' lights glowing outside the house. "What's going on here?"

Tatl flew to the door and tried to push it closed. "Impa! Help me!"

Impa quickly closed the door as Navi sank to the ground in her smashed state. Oops. That was what had happened. Both fairies rushed to the ground with Navi.

"Navi! Oh, Din! I did not know you were there!" Although Impa was a skilled warrior, she had never killed anybody before. Her stomach desperately hoped that Navi was all right.

"...I'm...okay..." Navi sounded like a bullfrog.

Tatl tried to lift the crushed fairy up but failed. "Tael, we must bring her inside!"

"Um, Tatl, we are fairies, remember?" The other two fairies could use their special healing abilities to help Navi.

"Oh yeah," Tatl got sidetracked for a second, "Ready?" Tael nodded.

Impa watched silently, hoping that Navi was not going to have a fit after the spell was over. The two fairies flew above Navi and used their healing power to create fairy dust. The ball of dust gave off a poof of pollen, sending the two fairies flying sideways and a trail of debris down to Navi. The purple fairy magically looked better, but her face was still showing signs of distress, and her eyelids were barely open.

"What...happened?" Navi got up with her knees looking like they were going to give out.

Impa finally spoke up. "I am so sorry. I opened the door and crushed you by accident."

"That much I remember." Navi frowned unnoticeably. "Where were you going so fast?"

"Zelda went deep in the forest to pick berries, but she has not yet returned. It's nearly dark now." Impa looked worried.

Navi was quick to forget about nearly being smashed; the king had told Navi to make sure Zelda was safe.

"Either she has not been keeping track of the time, or something—or someone—has detained her."

Tatl made a remark seemingly for the purpose of living up to her name. "If anything happened to Zelda, I'm telling the king immediately!"

Tael rebuked her. "Cut it out Tatl! Let's all stay calm. We will form a search party and look for her if it takes us until morning." Impa was grateful for that comment.

Tatl was not going to comply so fast. "What?! After that exhausting trip from Castle Town, you expect me to go searching for some disobedient little princess?!"

Navi knew that Tatl was crossing the line. "Tatl! Show some respect for the future monarch of Hyrule!"

Impa did not buy any of their small talk. Fairies certainly knew how to bicker whenever there was work to be done.

"We are wasting time. If anyone does not wish to come, that's fine. You are welcome to go in the house. I am heading toward the pond to look for Zelda." With that, Impa stormed off, a lantern in her hand just in case her search extended into nightfall.

"Very well, I will search to the east. I'll ask the Deku Tree if he knows anything about this." Tael took off like a bumblebee.

That left Navi and Tatl—the smart and the bratty.

Navi stared at Tatl for a while, forcing her to give in. "Okay, okay, after I get a quick bite to eat, I will meet up with you and help search."

Tatl flew inside the house and grabbed some honey while Navi left in the same direction that Impa had gone. Since Impa always had good instincts, following her was a good idea.

000

In Saria's house, laughter erupted in the small cottage that Link called home. Saria had been telling Zelda stories about raising Link. He was not sure whether to laugh or feel embarrassed. He was just a little kid.

Zelda quieted her own laughter. "I really must be going home. Impa will be incensed if I do not return before dark." Saria understood, but Link wished that Zelda could sleep over. He did not dare ask though.

Saria said, "Since it is getting late, I think that Link should escort you home. One never knows when monsters may attack." Link immediately went over to his chest to get a sword and shield.

"Oh, thank you, but I do not think that is necessary," said Zelda as she put on her shawl.

Link frowned. Deep in his gut he had an instinct to defend that girl. He stragely felt devoted to her as though he had sworn to protect her with his life. Sometimes Link almost felt as though he were an adult trapped in a child's body. Why did such crazy thoughts torture his mind? Little did he know that Zelda suffered from similar annoyances.

When Zelda opened the door to Saria and Link's house, six feet in front of her stood the Skeikah warrior whom she knew too well.

Impa yelled, "Zelda! What on earth are you doing here?!"

Link and Saria went to the door to see who it was. Saria cringed at the sight of the intimidating woman.

Zelda knew she had better put on her puppy eyes, tell the truth, and hope for the best. "I was picking berries in the woods when I met Link, this nice boy." Zelda gestured behind her.

Impa stared at the boy clad in green. Impa knew the legends better than anyone else living. If Zelda was really the Princess of Destiny, Link was probably the Chosen Hero. Now was not the time for the two of them to get involved.

Zelda continued telling her story. "Link invited me to dinner at his house, and I just had to accept his polite offer." Impa looked at Saria, not really paying attention to Zelda's pleas. Impa could easily forgive Link for the small diversion, but she held a grudge against Saria for no apparent reason.

Zelda saw that her sweet talk was not working. "I'm sorry, Impa. I disobeyed you and should not have come here, but please do not be angry with Saria and Link. They were only showing some kindness." Impa was still not listening. She was thinking about things on a larger scale.

"One day," Impa thought, "one day, these two will be responsible for sealing away the darkness."

Impa got out of her trance. "Zelda, we will speak about your actions later. Right now I am just happy to see that you are perfectly fine." Impa eyed the other two, "But I would like a word with Saria and Link individually."

As Impa was speaking Tael flew up to the house and stated matter-of-factly, "I see everything is under control. I will go tell the others."

Impa nodded and he flew away. It was nice to know that not all fairies were scatterbrains. Tael was just a cool guy who went with the flow of things and really did not care about what was going on. Unfortunately, his indifference often got him involved with "baddens."

Impa went into the house to speak with Saria while Zelda and Link got ready to say goodbye.

Zelda spoke easily to her new favorite person. "I had great fun with you today. Though I doubt we will meet again, I promise to always be your friend." Zelda went up to Link and hugged him with her arms around his neck. Link awkwardly hugged her back, his embarrassment being shown by his tomato-red face.

"Thanks..."

At least he managed a word.

In Saria's house, the two caretakers conversed, trying to forget their dislike of each other.

"Have you noticed that Zelda and Link are very 'old' for their age?" Impa spoke with a tone that signified that it was not village gossip.

Saria nodded. "It is alarmingly noticeable. Zelda has the intelligence and speech of a well-educated scholar. Link is fearless and extremely thoughtful; I can always count on him to take care of himself. There are indeed peculiar." Saria was subtly pressing Impa for more information.

Impa struggled to explain. "There is a...um...reason for this." Saria was visibly disturbed. "Zelda and Link are attracted to each other for a good reason actually, and their maturity is due to something inborn. They are destined to be important people." Saria's face was white with anxiety. "However, I cannot allow them to see each other anymore. I do not mean to be cold, but Zelda must not create any attention to herself. This is for her own good."

Saria was starting to feel angry with Impa again, but her instincts told her that she had better listen.

Saria gave in. "Very well. I would never want to do anything that would possibly hurt Zelda."

"Good. Now I must speak to Link. You can say goodbye to Zelda, but you are not to tell her anything about this. You must swear to keep what I told you a secret."

Saria barely understood what Impa had told her, but she did not care all that much. Since the Great Deku had always refused Saria's questions regarding Link, she was used to being left in the dark about things.

"I swear not to tell a soul."

Impa went outside to speak with Link. "Zelda, you may give your thanks to Saria. I need to speak with Link."

Zelda did as she was told and silently went into the house. Zelda had been chattering to Link the whole time, as he tried to get over the fact that he had been lovingly hugged by a girl.

Impa shook him out of his daydreaming. "'Link' is your name, correct?"

"Yes ma'am."

Farore, that kid had a calm demeanor.

"Has the Great Deku Tree ever spoken to you about your destiny?" Impa was blunt; she felt it was appropriate to be that way with "him."

"He has prepared me for it." Link had gone into his stoic mode.

"Has he told you anything about what is expected of you?" Impa was annoyed. If Link indeed was the Hero, he should get as big a head start as possible with preparing for the inevitable.

Link stayed quiet for a while. He needed a lot of words to explain, but he was not used to speaking in complex sentences.

"The Tree told me that I must practice to become a warrior because I have many things to accomplish. He said that he will summon me when my adventures are to begin." Link's words were a paraphrase of what the Great Deku had told him.

"It seems everything is being planned out then." Impa recollected the past hour. "Well, we must be going now. Thank you for taking care of Zelda. You must always remember to protect her with your life, but for now, I need you to avoid seeing her to keep her safe." Link cocked his head; he did not understand.

Impa explained, "Zelda needs to stay in obscurity—no one can know about her."

Link nodded. "So, she is hiding?"

"Basically, yes."

Saria and Zelda came outside.

Impa took her hand off Link's shoulder. "All right, time to go now. Goodbye Saria, Link."

Zelda said happily, "Goodbye Link! Thanks for the wonderful meal Saria!"

"Bye!"

Saria and Link waved to Zelda who was walking backwards to wave back. Impa and Zelda disappeared over a hill as the last bits of sunlight lit the sky orange. The lush green forest always looked unrecognizable at sunset. It was almost depressing and symbolic of Kokiri's lack of activity and relative isolation. Somehow, Link knew that it was not goodbye forever, but nevertheless, goodbye for a very long time.

"All righty!" Saria said, "Time for bed! We got a big day tomorrow and we will need the extra sleep."

Saria and Link went into their cottage arm in arm and closed the door behind them. Saria read Link a tale from one of the legends as the birds sang their last song for the day. He dreamt that night of being a great warrior and saving Zelda from monsters. He awoke from the dream to look out the window at the stars and think. Unknown to him, Zelda was doing exactly the same at her house while both their guardians slept deeply.

The Kokiri Forest was in a transient state of perfection.

000

Author's Introduction:

I am a fan of the Legend of Zelda. But I must confess something: until recently, the only LoZ I ever played was the beginning and first dungeon of Link's Awakening. However, I play many LoZ songs on the piano (a ton of Zelda songs actually; Koji Kondo every day). I also recently played through the Oracle games and finished Link's Awakening and tried samplings of Breath of the Wild, A Link to the Past, the Minish Cap, The Adventure of Link, and Skyward Sword. I have still hardly scratched the surface of the Zelda franchise though. So how do I know all about the games? Well, I have learned a lot by watching cutscenes, the main stories, and even some walkthroughs of several of them. I learned little bits of information from friends and the internet too. As I keep writing, I will be playing the games, studying the series, and immersing myself in the music to really give me the feel.

This story has a long road to cover, and I hope you'll be staying with me for plenty of fun in the amazing world of Hyrule. Thanks for reading!

—Tomas K 


	6. A Short Childhood

Chapter 6: A Short Childhood

Zelda and Link never saw each other again after that one unforgettable day. That was partly because Zelda and Impa moved to another part of the Kokiri Forest when monsters had started appearing near their old home. However, Link and Saria stayed where they were, for Link had to be within a few minutes' walk of the Great Deku Tree at all times. Besides, fighting off the monsters was good practice for Link, or at least that was what the Tree said. Saria was terrified by the monster problem, but Link remained rather indifferent, fighting off Stalchildren and Moblins with ease and no noticeable response to the violence.

In addition to his sword (which was not wood anymore but iron), shield, and bow, Link had added an ocarina that supposedly responded magically to certain songs to his arsenal. Saria gave the ocarina to Link at the Great Deku Tree's orders. The Forest Children had protected the relic for years, but they had little knowledge of what it really was or why they had been entrusted with it. But the Great Deku Tree knew for sure that it was to be given to Link. It certainly was peculiar how the Great Deku was "informed" about such things. He seemed to have some sort of connection to the goddesses or fate in general.

On Link's tenth anniversary of coming to Kokiri Forest as a babe, he was summoned to meet with the Great Deku Tree. It also so happened to be the tenth anniversary of his parents' deaths, but he had never been told about that. The Great Deku Tree ordered Link to bring all his gear and provisions for a day's journey. Saria knew the trip was a signal that her days with the boy were coming to an end, but Link thought that he would return home as usual. Little did he know that his life was not going to be as easy and carefree as it had been for the past ten years.

Link finished putting all his gear on his back and turned to Saria who was standing in the doorway to Link's first home. He whispered a goodbye, and Saria ran up to him and hugged him tightly. They were both about the same height since Link was not a Forest Child, but a Hylian.

"Goodbye, Link. I love you."

"I love you too"—those words formed in Link's heart but did not escape his mouth. The older he got, the more his emotions became hard to express, and the harder it became to fight them. After a drawn-out embrace, Saria released Link and stroked his blond hair as she had done many times in years past and grabbed one of his hands.

"You take good care of yourself now."

Link nodded. His nod was something that was definitely characteristic of him. He would always give a quick, deep tip of the head downward and form his mouth into a resolute curved line. This nod and his indifferent attitude combined to make Link seem much like a soldier—a feelingless fighter.

Link began walking down the same path that Impa and Zelda had taken five years before. Once he reached the top of the hill, he turned around and waved. Saria waved back ferociously, feeling rather desolate. Even after Link was out of sight, Saria kept staring where she last saw the boy that she had mothered for ten years. Saria had taught Link character, love, and practical skills such as cooking. They were each other's only family.

She whispered, "Goddesses, please protect my boy and help him do your will."

Saria finally went back to her house and returned to her daily routine. She decided that she would keep all the things that were Link's as they were; that way if he ever came back, everything would be just as he left it.

000

Link cheerily walked over to the Great Deku Tree; he still thought that it was only a day trip. It was a pleasant afternoon for a good walk. What could possibly go wrong?

When Link arrived at his destination, he realized that the old Deku was sleeping. He had no time to lose! Link knocked on the tree with his knuckles.

It moved. "Uh?...who?...what?...Oh, Link. Thou hast come as I told thee. Please have a seat."

The Tree gestured with his eyes for Link to sit on one of his branches. Link unwillingly did as he was told. It seemed that the Tree was going to give another long-winded speech about destiny.

"Dost thou remember that I told thee that one day I would summon thee, and that that day would be the beginning of thine adventures?" Link nodded again. "Well, a fortnight ago, a goddess spoke to me in a dream; her words were: 'Fourteen days from now, the Chosen One is to be sent forth into Castilla, for it is his duty to protect the people of that kingdom...'"

The Great Deku did not tell Link the second part of the message: the part about Link being the reincarnation of the Hero of Time who must wield the Master Sword to defeat Ganon. It was the goddesses' will that Link take down his foes one at a time and not be burdened by knowledge of all the troubles that he would have to face for many years to come—or be demoralized by the despair the Heroes had faced in Hyrule's ancient history.

"Link, we have been together for many summers. I hope ye will never forget all the things I have told you. If it ever be necessary and proper, feel free to come back to me at any time." The Deku paused to think. "Dost thou know where Castilla lies?"

Link shook his head to say "no."

"Well then, Castilla lies to the east of our forest. Ye will go in that direction. Once thou hast reached the outskirts of Kokiri, ye will find a dirt road that lies parallel to a stream. Take that road north until ye come to the border." The Tree was not told the details and could tell Link nothing more. "I must assume that your purpose will be revealed as ye travel."

That did not sound like a mission but rather an expedition relying on divine guidance. Was that disturbing to Link? Not in the least bit. He got up without a word and made sure that his belongings were secured. He thought he was ready for anything.

The Tree was scared for the boy. "Good luck, Link. Ye will need it."

Link began his trek out of the forest, thoughts of doubt in his mind. Was it really a good idea to keep blindly relying on the Great Deku Tree? Apparently, Link had convinced himself that it was fine because he continued without a halt. The Great Deku might have been a little peculiar, but Link decided that he could depend on him.

000

On the road to Castilla, King Hubert, his family and adjutants, and the royal guards were journeying back to Castilla after yet another conference with Hyrule. Relations between Hyrule and Castilla had been staying good despite the awkward appearance of Maleficent and subsequent removal of Zelda from the public. Hubert's subjects had also responded well to the plan for Castilla to become a part of Hyrule. The people believed it would bring protection and commerce.

However, Castilla's elected portion of the government had demanded one change to the plans: that Castilla would not be absorbed into Hyrule when Prince Phillip married Princess Zelda, but rather when King Hubert died. They did not want Hubert to be forced to look to the leader of Hyrule as his sovereign. They had a certain pride in their king and did not wish to have him be belittled in that manner. Harkinian gladly agreed to those conditions, thus keeping the two kingdoms on good terms. As usual, Hubert did not care about such a small change since the end result would still have Castilla being annexed by Hyrule.

Harkinian and Hubert had discussed the monster problem in their semi-annual conference. Hubert believed the creatures were being summoned by Maleficent, but Harkinian and his wife Leah had a foreboding that those evil tidings were part of the prophesied return of Ganondorf Dragmire. The army of Hyrule, reinforced by Castilla's army and Goron, Zora, and Gerudo volunteers, had been doing a good job of defending the citizens from the monster attacks. However, the Kokiri Forest was not possible to guard in entirety all at once and could be a haven to monsters. Harkinian was aware of the possibillity of a monster attack on Hubert during his journey, which required traveling near the Kokiri Forest to get back to Castilla. Therefore, Harkinian sent a squad of Hylian knights in addition to Hubert's regular troops in case of an attack.

The air above the road to Castilla was filled with dust from the royal caravan. There was no way the people could continue moving with the blinding handicap. A Castillian driver hopped off his chariot to speak with King Hubert who was riding behind in a carriage with his family.

"Sire, the horses are exhausted from the heat. They really need a drink."

It was a terribly humid August day.

Hubert acquiesced. "We can stop here and rest for awhile. I am sure the horses will find this stream refreshing."

Beside the road connecting Hyrule and Castilla was a small, fast-flowing stream that drained distant Lake Hylia. The animals thoroughly enjoyed the cool stream water. The knights unmounted their horses and the drivers got up and stretched their feet. Even Hubert's wife and children stepped out for a break.

"Father," young Prince Phillip was fifteen now, "is everything fine?" Phillip did not like their stopping for some reason.

"Oh yes, everything is quite all right. The heat is getting to the horses."

Hubert was not going to let his son worry unnecessarily, though he still had the possibility of a monster attack to think about. Phillip's concern made Hubert worried though. He personally spoke to the commanding officer and told him to be on high alert. He did not want any monsters to catch the Castillians off guard.

Unfortunately, his warning was too late though. As Hubert was speaking, several arrows fell out of the sky. The perpetrators were invisible in the clouded air.

"We are being attacked! Everyone on me!"

The officer drew his sword and disappeared in the dust as Hubert ran to his family.

Hubert stayed calm. "Come, quickly; we will be safe in the armored carriage."

"Hubert, these are not monsters; they carry bows!" Hubert's wife was well aware of the monster problem.

"Unfortunately, these monsters are half-civilized. They have been known to use captured weapons."

Hubert and his family watched from the window of their carriage, but the dust in the air blocked their view of the battle.

Hubert called to the lancer beside the carriage, "What is going on?!"

"There are too many of them!"

Three eight-foot Stalfos came into view. They charged with swords in their hands and red flames in their eyes. The guards likewise stepped forward, spears ready. The sickening sound of metal on metal rang out as the Stalfos attacked the soldiers. The tall skeletons held the advantage there. It was going to be a bloody fight.

Further down the road, Link heard what sounded like a distant blacksmith shop—only monster cries were mingled with the sounds of metal. Link drew his sword and pulled out his shield and ran toward the source of the sounds in the dust that he had been avoiding.

The sight that met his eyes was appalling. Dead Moblins lay everywhere (Link much preferred the monsters that immediately exploded into nothingness), and blood leached out of the bodies of fallen warriors. An intense battle between defending Hylian knights aided by Castillian spearsmen and innumerable monsters coming out of the Kokiri Forest was on his left, and to his right he saw some Moblins stealing horses that had been drinking at the stream. In front of him, Link saw at least ten Stalfos attacking the caravan. Four lancers were all that stood between three of the Stalfos and a carriage that had a crown on it. At the sight of two of the guards being thrown to the side, Link darted.

He lept into the air with his signature war cry and smacked the back of a Stalfos, sending it to the ground. He knew what to do from fighting Stalchildren: he sliced into its head, and its bones shattered. Evekt though the other two Stalfos left their rear unguarded when they turned around to see what had happened, the Castillian guards were too exhausted to take advantage of the opportunity to hit the Stalfos in the back as Link had. The skeletons clumsily walked over to Link with their nasty weapons, giving him time to plan.

Link had a unique idea. He took out his bow and shot an arrow straight up in the air. The Stalfos, being rather stupid, looked up to make sure that the arrow was not going to hit them in the skull. That was a bad move. Within seconds, Link ran, jumped into the air, and smashed a Stalfos' head with his shield. The blow was so strong that it alone caused the skeleton to collapse.

The one remaining Stalfos now took the offensive. It charged at Link, swinging its Hylian-made sword of iron. As Link hopped around and blocked with his shield, he worked up quite a sweat. He let the Stalfos think that he was just dodging, but he was really waiting for an opportunity. When the monster gave a powerful downward stroke, Link slid behind its ribcage and hit it in the spine. The Stalfos fell to the ground, and Link savagely destroyed its head before it had a chance to recover.

The royal family was in shock. A moment ago it looked like they were done for, but now some boy had destroyed three giant monsters within minutes right before their eyes.

"That lad is genius." Hubert was amazed.

Phillip was impressed by the dashing moves Link had performed as well. "He is fantastic! His agility does not seem humanly possible."

Even Hubert's younger children who were cowering in fear earlier were now watching Link fight the remaining monsters from the relative safety of their armored carriage. The royal guards and Link quickly defeated the other Stalfos by outnumbering and surrounding them.

Hubert's wife was curious. "Who IS that boy?"

Hubert shook his head with no answer.

Link was now helping the Hylians defeat the Moblins, which were only a threat because of their large numbers. In the middle of the fighting, Link stood still for a second and motioned for the other knights to back off. The Hylians shrugged but let him have his way. When the Moblins, clubs in hand, starting heading for Link, he let them have it. He lunged forward and spun his sword 360 degrees several times, maiming six Moblins. An otherworldy light shone around his sword as he performed the move.

The Great Deku Tree had once told Link an ancient secret that certain people (the Heroes), especially those carrying certain weapons (like the Master Sword), could execute the spin attack with magical power. Link had been taught the move by the Tree many years ago, but that was his first time using it in battle.

Link's attack made the remaining Moblins scurry in retreat. The Hylian knights ran in pursuit and sliced the Moblins from behind mercilessly. They were victorious. Link observed the battlefield: a few soldiers had been killed, and many more were wounded. He ran up to one of them, a Castillian, and took off his helmet and helped him up.

The soldier groaned in pain as he walked with Link's help. "Thanks lad. My leg is busted up pretty bad."

The Hylians and Castillians gathered all the wounded and stripped the four dead soldiers of their weapons and identification. Hubert talked with the commanding officer for a while about the possibilliy of a second attack, but he also wanted to address the others and called for them to listen.

"Loyal soldiers, you have done your duty well. Thanks to you and the sacrifice of these four whom we must provide a proper military burial for, we are safe and yet another monster attack has been successfully halted. I am sorry this had to happen when we were least prepared. This monster problem is indeed perplexing."

Hubert searched the crowd until he spotted Link. "There is one among us who came to our aid when we needed it most."

Everyone was staring at Link.

Hubert pointed at him. "Young lad, come here."

As the small boy in green walked over to the king, confused faces scrutinized him. Link bowed on one knee as a knight would because he could not think of anything else to do.

"What is your name, young one?"

Everyone remained perfectly silent to hear his answer.

Link stood up and spoke clearly. "Link."

"Pray tell me your family's name."

"Your Majesty, I never knew my parents," Link admitted.

Due to their odd prejudices, some of the soldiers lost their admiration for Link because of the revelation. If he did not have parents, was the child sent from the goddesses or...?

"Where have you come from?"

Hubert was getting a little worried. Too many strange things had been happening the past couple of years.

"I am a Hylian, but I was raised in the Kokiri Forest. The Great Deku Tree has been my guide in all things."

Many of the soldiers were shocked to hear that; the Great Deku Tree was known for being unaccommodating and exceedingly hard to find.

"Your aid in this battle is greatly appreciated on behalf of all of us. Your expertise with a sword is worthy of applaud. What are you doing on this dangerous road? If you are heading to Castilla, I can offer you a ride."

Link was beginning to see that he had to go with the flow and just do what his conscience told him to do: dead reckoning.

"My goal is to become a warrior to protect the people. If you please, I would like to go to Castilla."

"Excellent." Hubert spoke to the crowd of soldiers, drivers, and cooks, "Night is near. Let us make camp and bury our dead. May the gods receive them. We will finish our journey tomorrow. After you have had a night's rest, you that are Hylian may return to your kingdom. Your service here will not be forgotten, and neither will those that have fallen."

Everyone began to reorganize while Link just stood there waiting.

"Master Link," Hubert was the first to refer to Link with that title, "come with me."

Link followed the king and his royal guards to a tent that had been put up near the iconic carriage with the gold crown on it. Hubert's family stood to the side while soldiers quickly made camp. Beside the larger tent for the royal family was a smaller one.

Hubert called his eldest. "Phillip." The Prince stopped talking to his little brother and came to his father. "I do not want this young lad to sleep with the men. Would you be willing to share your tent?"

That was a rather odd thing for a king to request from his son, but Hubert was a humble man, and he taught his family to be that way as well.

"Certainly, father."

In a more strict kingdom, even a son would not be allowed to call the king by his family title.

Things were moving much too fast for Link. It looked as though he were going to spend the night in a Gerudo-style tent with a prince from another kingdom. In the Great Deku's words, Link's etiquette was "basically defunct, unlearned, useless." Ah, so be it! Every good knight had to learn some degree of chivalry, only did a prince have to be Link's test subject? The guards looked uneasy about the boy being allowed so close to Prince Phillip.

"Master Link," Hubert took Link out of his shock. "You may store your weapons in one of our wagons over there," Hubert pointed.

Link unloaded his gear and also took his dagger out of his knapsack; he did not want to raise any suspicions by getting caught with a weapon. Link returned to the tents, but King Hubert was now inside the larger tent with his wife and younger children. There was no way to knock. Maybe Link should have said something?

A genial guard relieved him of his dilemma by calling him over. In his arms were two plates of food.

Food?

Link had forgotten all about supper, but his stomach was aching for a meal.

"The prince is waiting for us." They walked over to the tent and the guard called out, "Prince Phillip, your dinner is served."

Phillip opened the tent to the familiar voice. "Thanks Valdar!" He gestured for Link to enter as though they were well-acquainted. "Please come in!"

Link followed the prince into the spacious tent. The two of them sat down and placed their plates on a small table. Link was thankful that there was only one fork and knife to eat with—not that that made the idea of eating with a prince any easier. There were at least a million things he could do wrong. Link decided the best thing to do was keep his mouth shut to avoid embarrassing himself.

Phillip began eating, not saying anything else either. Should Link have followed suit? He looked down on the food. It was unrecognizable but smelled good.

"Link, please eat. Do not be daunted by your surroundings." Phillip hinted that he could sense Link's uneasiness.

That somehow cleared up some doubts, but Link still wanted to say something. "I am very thankful for everything, Prince Phillip."

Link waited for an answer before he began to eat. At first, the prince did not seem to understand.

"Oh, after your performance today, you deserve it. Besides, I rarely get a chance to be with other boys and talk about silly things."

Link smiled and began to eat the foreign food.

Phillip remembered something else. "Oh, as long as we are alone, you may call me Phillip."

Link nodded again with relief. He had always hated the unnecessary subtleties of high society, but Prince Phillip was proving that not all nobles were cold and arrogant. Link thought that he could get used to that sort of life.

Phillip and Link ate the rest of their meal in silence. It seemed that Phillip shared Link's quietness. After they finished, Valdar the guard took away their plates, and Phillip pulled out a book and lay down on his bed for some reading before turning in.

"Oh, forgive me. Would you care to read something?"

Link stared at the stack of texts on history, sciences, and unrecognizable topics.

"No, thank you."

Link was not very skilled in diciphering ancient letters. Since the books came from Castilla, some of the words were completely foreign.

Link lay on his mat on the ground, which was not as comfortable as his bed in Saria's house, and examined what had happened in the past couple of hours and how he was now sleeping in the same tent as a prince. What would the next day bring? A princess? As Link thought about what his plans for tomorrow were, he fell asleep, and Phillip looked over at him and smiled. Phillip wanted to talk to his father about Link somehow becoming a part of the royal court.

"Royal guardian of his majesty, Phillip."

The prince laughed at the thought of that.

000 


	7. Evil Intentions

Chapter 7: Evil Intentions

If Maleficent had one character defect aside from general lack of morality, it was her penchant need for elaborate planning. Why had she cursed Zelda to die after sixteen years instead of killing her outright? Because she needed time to plan. Magic was not so easy to control; getting the curse to work out exactly as Maleficent wanted it to was going to take much concentration and preparedness.

Malficent's "castle" of the wastelands was becomming stuffed with monsters. Those creatures, called Maleficent's Goons, were amongst the most stupid beings of the dark world. She had summoned them by use of portals. Maleficent chose them for their idiocy on purpose, for it was easier to manipulate a fool than a cunning demon. However, the Goons' weaknesses did give Maleficent a problem when the other monsters that were plaguing Hyrule learned of her presence outside Death Mountain. Stalchildren had begun attacking her fortress every night, but her Goons were not doing a good job of defending the castle.

Maleficent found it increasingly necessary that she gather some more powerful allies to her side. That would not be easy, for although she possessed great defensive capabilities, she was not very knowledgeable in the art of fighting dark magic; her only experience was against sheer force. However, she was too hell-bent on revenge to worry about her own shortcomings.

"I have nothing to fear but fear itself," she declared.

Maleficent had gathered her Goons together for a ceremony. That day, she decided to summon another dark being to aid her.

"Uh...What iz 'feer'?" A rather normal-looking crocodile had the audacity to question his mistress while she gave her speech.

She yelled back at him, "Fear is for weaklings! I would not know its true attributes or cause!"

That was an outright lie. After Harkinian's mother banished her, Maleficent was the most scared, most trembling, worried person ever to walk Hyrule. She certainly had no courage to boast about.

The sorceress knocked the crocodile's jaws closed with a tap of her dreaded sceptre. "Now shut up and listen to what I am about to do!"

Some Goons stopped chewing their plugs of tobacco to focus on her. In some ways, Maleficent's Goons were much gentler and more civilizied than most monsters. Although their lack of intelligence inhibited their speech, the Goons could carry on decent conversation and show acts of kindness.

"Ah! Today I shall show you my true powers! I will bring a dark being into our world and subdue him and force him to do my will!"

Maleficent lifted up her sceptre, causing a green orb to appear in the middle of her castle. The swirling mass of magic was a portal, a link between ages that could be used to duplicate the life of anyone from the past and send it into the present—a dangerous weapon indeed.

Maleficent spoke some obscure words, the "hocus pocus" of her dark magic, and then lifted her sceptre into the air with a scream. The green orb exploded and a burst of smoke filled the entire room, and—she was successful.

When the dust settled, an peculiar red knight stood in the middle of a circular rug. It was Volga, the Dragon Knight. He, like Maleficent, had once been a normal human, but he had deformed himself by using dark magic on his own flesh. The result? During battle, Volga could transform into a fire-breathing dragon. Not many stories were known about him, but he supposedly regretted his actions and was a man of honor. It was not going to be easy for Maleficent to get him to help her accomplish evil.

Volga spoke up. "Where in the world am I now?" He was tired of being abused by evil forces.

Maleficent kept him surrounded in sealing magic and walked closer to him. "You are outside Hyrule, many years after your true time." She laughed wickidly. Maleficent was going to enjoy bringing the knight to his knees.

"And what are you? A witch?"

The Dragon Knight got on his feet, and Maleficent gave him a death stare. "Only my enemies refer to me in that manner."

"As I suspected! I will have nothing to do with you. Cia was the last sorcerer that will ever beguile me."

Volga's Fire began to swirl around him.

"Cia? I see you have good taste in women."

Maleficent should not have taunted him...

"Silence yourself or I will take the liberty to rid you of your tongue!"

Volga was ready to transform into a dragon within a second's notice.

"Haha! You are a fool. It is I who will subdue you! You will serve me whether you like it or not!"

Maleficent laughed evily and concentrated her magic around her sceptre, ready to send electrical attacks. While the two villains made silly insults, Maleficent's Goons were getting very worried. As Volga began to transform, the little monsters ran everywhere. In his dragon form, Volga could not speak or show feeling. He only knew how to do one thing: kill.

Volga was the first to attack, spewing airborne fire toward Maleficent, but she quickly teleported behind Volga. Instead of attacking him, Maleficent decided to do something else: she rammed her entire sceptre into the Dragon Knight's back, melting through his scales with dark magic.

Volga screamed out as Maleficent put all her strength into sapping his power out of him. The two stood in the position for a whole minute, sparks flying everywhere and dark magic swirling in confusion. The Goons were terrified and shaking in their skins with their paws covering their eyes.

Finally, a bolt of electricity, somewhat resembling lightning, struck the two battling foes, and a small explosion occurred that created a giant cloud of smoke. A few stones fell out of the walls, and some of the Goons lay wounded. Both Maleficent and Volga were on the ground, perhaps appearing dead, but Volga had returned to his human form.

"I hope you are satisfied," Volga said to her.

He dusted himself off and walked over to the limp witch. She had sacrificed all her physical strength to steal his powers from him. Volga was totally unharmed, yet he could feel that something was different. It must have been disheartening when he realized what had happened: Maleficent had finally ridden him of his dark magic. For a brief moment, Volga was relieved that he was once more a normal man; however, his dark dragon magic was now in the body of Maleficent. She could not be allowed to use it.

"Prepare to die, wretched woman." Volga picked up a sword that was dropped by the Goons in their scurrying. "You shall not plague this world a second longer."

As Volga lifted up the sword to strike, several Goons ran up to him and strangled him.

"Unhand me, you imbeciles!"

"At least you little monsters are not completely useless."

Volga turned his head to see Maleficent standing up again, her bizarre head tails half-broken.

"Put him in the dungeons!"

The Goons shoved Volga to his feet, as he resisted the tugging.

"I would rather die then live to see your ugly face again!" He swore to Maleficent.

"I will execute you when I am ready. It is too bad you were unwilling to cooperate, but at least I got something out of the deal."

As the witch spoke, Volga's Fire surrounded her body, signifying that she indeed had the same powers Volga once possessed.

"Ha ha ha! I will make sure you suffer. Send him away!"

The Goons carried Volga down to the dungeon and placed him in a cell filled with bones—human bones. He slouched down to the floor and balled his fists on the stained stones. He contemplated suicide, but quickly dismissed the idea as cowardly, shameful, and morally wrong. He would not give up. He would endure whatever he was to be subjected to. He even prayed for the first time in many years.

"Goddesses...I never really put much trust in you; my faith has always been weak. I know that I am worthy of nothing, but for goodness' sake...do not let this witch go unchecked. Stop her before she becomes too strong!"

A rat ran by and Volga noticed many spider webs carrying alarmingly large arachnids. The lighting was haunting and extremely subtle there; the only major light source was a barred window too high to be reached. The floor was covered in dirt and moss and had visible signs of decay. Remains of past victims gave the place a sickening metallic stank. Volga observed a skull that had been unnaturally cut in the jaws, probably due to the teeth being salvaged for silver or gold.

"Have mercy on me," he begged.

000

Back in the upper floors, Maleficent was totally recovered, but she had not learned her lessen. Instead, she felt that her endeavors had been quite fruitful. Only an hour after her first attempt, she again gathered her Goons to observe another ritual. Even if she could not get someone to help her, perhaps she could continue stealing the ancient powers of fallen warriors?

Maleficent created another portal and took her time examining the many choices she had to choose from. She observed the demons of old and was sure she got a glimpse of Demise himself.

"Hmm...Ghirahim." she muttered.

The Goons lifted their eyebrows, wondering what crazy plan their leader was cooking up now.

"I shall bring that haughty, perverted, fabulous, self-proclaimed Demon Lord to his senses!"

Maleficent lifted her sceptre into the air, dark magic swirling about and making everything a blur. A violent explosion threw several Goons into the air. When the dust settled, the celebrated Demon Lord appeared in Maleficent's castle with a protective ring of diamonds around him.

"Welcome to my castle." Maleficent gave him an evil grin.

Ghirahim looked much like a hylian, except for his grey skin. He had a somewhat handsome face and silver hair that covered one of his purple eyes. He wore a clinging one-piece that was complemented by a unusual red cape that covered both the front and rear of the body and the neck. Diamonds figured greatly in his raimant; he wore two sapphire blue diamonds as earrings.

Ghirahim pushed his iconic hair back arrogantly and then gave the castle a quick glance.

"Charming—an unexpected pleasure." Ghirahim was one of the few villians that had manners. "I am Lord Ghirahim. And who, may I ask, are you?"

"I am Maleficent, and you are in my domain."

Ghirahim again patted his hair down. "The last thing I remember was that my Master was about to duel a commoner for the sport of it." Ghirahim frowned and suddenly became tense. "That commoner—that boy!—sometimes I shake with rage thinking of him!"

Ghirahim lost himself a little, evidenced by the slight tint of green in the air surrounding him. The boy he spoke of was none other than the first Link, the Hero and founding father of Hyrule. Maleficent wanted to get everything over with; Ghirahim was one who would keep talking just because he had a tongue.

"I am to be your new master." She was blunt but got her point across.

The Demon Lord stared a second to see if she was serious and asked, "Er...what?"

Maleficent desired to do things peacefully if possible. "That is to say, mistress."

Ghirahim laughed. "Woman, you are terribly confused. I am a servant of his majesty the Demon King Demise."

Ghirahim's ill feelings towards the "boy" wained as Maleficent sidetracked him. He knew that something was definitely messed up with the witch in order for her to say such a stupid thing.

"From this moment on, you are under my command!" Maleficent proclaimed as she prepared her electric magic.

Ghirahim scoffed, letting out a puff of air. "How pathetic. Do you really think that I am that easy to exploit? I do not even see reason to share breathing space with you a second longer. I will take my leave."

Maleficent sent an electric arc at Ghirahim, but it was too late.

The Goons grunted and looked around:

"Where'd he go?"

"Huh?"

"What happened?"

"Dis is bad fellas!"

"Run fir yer lives!"

"SILENCE!"

Maleficent was hot with anger. She had just spent so much energy bringing Ghirahim to her aide, and now he had vanished with the snap of a finger.

"Don't just stand around! Do something! FIND HIM!" Maleficent's screeching voice echoed throughout the whole castle.

Volga, who had been beating his head on the wall of his cell, heard the outcry from the upper floor. He looked up at the vibrating ceiling and said to himself, "What a despicable witch. The only good thing about death is that it kills obnoxious beings like her."

Goons went scurrying and searching through the castle, but not a sign of Ghirahim was anywhere to be found. That made Maleficent furious, outraged, sick with anger!

000

"My liege, the people are beginning to say slanderous things about the Royal Court. Could we not at least give them some—ANY information about the princess?"

Secretary Renado, the king and queen, and the rest of Hyrule's leading officials were discussing the problem of Zelda's absence. For many years, Zelda had been a continual topic of debate in Hyrule's government. The people and even the army had begun questioning whether or not they knew the truth about Zelda. The stories they were told were not easy to believe. Who had ever heard of such a thing? A princess was born and then quickly taken away from society altogether. The people began circulating rumors about her being dead or physically deformed, perhaps cursed, and King Harkinian was becoming cross that even his closest advisers were betraying him.

"Secretary Renado, it is of the utmost importance that Zelda's current status remain secret for her protection. I do not even tell the Royal Court what she does, and yet you expect me to divulge information about her to the public?"

Renado did not want to anger the king. "What I meant is...can we at least tell the peoples of Hyrule why she is hiding?"

When he said "peoples," the three leaders of Hyrule's tribes—Ruto, Darunia, and Nabooru—gave Renado a disapproving glance. The Zoras, Gorons, and Gerudo had not been pressing the king for any information about Zelda; only the Hylians were demanding that they know more about their princess. Ruto, Darunia, and Nabooru wanted nothing to do with the conspiracy.

Harkinian frowned. "The very cause of her asylum is not something to be dealt with lightly."

Gaemora, the leading general of the army, got up from his seat. "Considering the large monster attacks recently," Only a few days earlier, Hubert's caravan had been attacked by monsters and Hyrule had lost three men, "I think the people's main concern is for her safety. Perhaps we can simply assure everyone that Princess Zelda is safe and guarded? I am sure this will work wonders to improve morale."

Gaemora's officers had been probing him for information regarding Zelda, claiming that the troops were losing faith in the monarch's words.

Harkinian looked at his wife Leah at the other end of the room. Was Zelda really safe all alone in the Kokiri Forest, which was infested with little monsters, with only a single Sheikah to protect her? Harkinian hoped so. Queen Leah nodded softly and smiled, giving him her suppprt.

Harkinian gave in. "...yes, I can assure Hyrule that Zelda is safe and in good hands." The Royal Court murmured in approval and Gaemora and Renado, greatly satisfied, sat down. "All of you are to tell your respective subordinates that I give my word that the princess is safe and well."

There were many influential people in the Royal Court: Ruto, leader of the Zoras; Darunia, leader of the Gorons; Nabooru, leader of the Gerudo; Secretary Renado; General Gaemora; High Priest Rauru; the other secretaries and advisers; and many lesser figures such as a representative from Castilla, Mayor Bo of Faron Province, and even Tingle the fairy elder.

"Now, let us continue with our business."

With Zelda out of the way, the Royal Court could continue its conference smoothly. One of the first decisions they made was to send an invitation of knighthood to the boy (who was none other than Link) that had helped defend the royal family of Castilla during the recent monster attack. Hyrule knew little of the boy, except what the Hylians present at the monster battle had told them: he was a young Hylian that was quite a "devil" with the sword. However, that boy just so happened to have already formed a friendship with Prince Phillip.

It seemed that Link was going to be forced to pick between Castilla and Hyrule for better or for worse.

000 


	8. Guardian of the Royal Family

Chapter 8: "Guardian of the Royal Family"

While Hyrule was having its conference, Link was in Castilla, lodging in the castle there as an honored guest for his vital contribution during the monster battle that had happened a few days earlier. Hubert had asked Link if he would like to demonstrate some of his sword skills to some young Castillian cadets. Having much time on his hands, Link readily agreed and hoped he could eventually become part of the military.

However, Hyrule knew about Link's voluntary service and had already sent a messenger to request that Link return to Hyrule and become a royal knight. Meanwhile, Prince Phillip had his own plans for Link. Phillip and Link had immediately become close friends despite their five-year age gap, and Phillip desired to make Link his personal guardian and companion.

In the castle, Phillip was speaking with King Hubert about exactly that.

"Father, I have never seen such a skilled warrior of his age. Link is an extraordinary person. We must not let him get away from us."

Hubert walked over to a window overlooking the courtyard where Link was dueling with a cadet. The king had some trepidation about letting the Hylian stay. Phillip seemed determined to keep Link in Castilla as a royal knight, but Hubert was still uncertain about the boy.

His gaze still on Link, Hubert spoke to his son, "Young Link was indeed born to be a fighter, but something makes me worry that his purpose is not here but elsewhere."

Hubert did not understand why he felt that way about Link, but his premonition was correct. Outside, Link was clobbering the inexperienced trainees who were only boys like him. There was surely something supernatural about him.

"Father, why can we not at least ask Link if he would like to become a royal Castillian knight?"

Phillip walked over to the window and saw that Hubert was watching Link.

"I suppose we can."

Hubert looked back at his son, fifteen years old but still very boyish. Phillip opened his mouth but could not say anything for excitement. Hubert smiled and put his hand on the prince's shoulder.

"I shall ask him at dinner."

000

In the trainee courtyard, Link used his wooden practice sword to knock the shield out of his opponent's grip. The cadet, a boy who was preparing himself for a life in the military, fell backward from the blow.

A lieutenant called out to Link, "All right. That's enough for today. These kids are no match for a veteran like you."

Some of the aspiring trainees were jealous of Link. Others thought he was like a hero, but most only saw him as a skilled warrior to learn from. The lieutenant gave Link a hearty pat on the back and escorted him out of the training area.

"Any other plans for today? Your vacation here won't last forever." He gave Link a wink.

Link was finally feeling bored after three carefree days in Castilla.

"...I guees I'll check out the town for anything I might have missed."

"Good idea. I won't see you again until tomorrow's practice session." The young lieutenant paused and thought for a second. "These duels are probably just child's play for you, eh? But it is good for you to keep up your sword practice. With your prowess, you could easily become an soldier far better than I."

"Thank you, sir."

The lieutenant nodded and then headed over to Telma's Bar, a popular stop for travelers and regulars. That place was known for its good food, cheap liquor, and weird "clubs," which were really semi-organized militias, illicit gangs, spies, and all sorts of mysterious groups. The "clubs" dealt their own "justice" to "baddens" or anybody else they wanted to run off the "joint." The result was a sometimes violent, though generally justifiable, eradication of criminals and other possible threats.

King Hubert was trying his best to be rid of those clandestine societies because they made the government look as though it could not handle Castilla's matters on its own. However, some of the special groups were actually quite beneficial. For example, the Resistance, a clan of warriors, was a multinational research group whose goal was to help Hyrule and Castilla, particularly by bonding the two of them into one nation, an idea that was already in process because of Zelda's betrothal to Phillip.

Link decided to go to an unexplored section of Castilla called *Rougenforte, a foreign word referring to the distinctive red hair (most Castillians were black-haired) of some of its inhabitants. The roads in the Rougenforte area were made of fair cobblestones, and the shops (people lived on the second floors) had an inviting though decrepit appearance.

Link saw several peddlers going down the wide streets with their carriages and a child playing ball with his dog. The rhythmatic rapping of the rubber-like chew toy echoed slightly in the empty area. The only other noise came from a surprisingly young, blind man, who was playing a fiddle and collecting donations. The whole place had a strikingly romantic atmosphere to it.

Link noticed a peculiar young man with an appalling hairstyle demonstrating some sort of flimsy catapult on the street.

"Behold the Groosinator! A technological marvel that uses the simplest materials to make a reliable launching device. Come on! Take one home for yourself! The army has already requested twenty of these for use in battle. But this machine will not only work well as a weapon. You can put all kinds of things in here and send 'em flying. Why, a human could even take a ride in one!"

Link noticed that the amusing guy was showing his catapult outside a place called "Tarin's General Store". Inside that shop, Link saw a genial man with a big mustache standing behind a counter and a pretty little red-haired girl sorting some textilles. Seeing that it was one of the few shops that sold things other than food, Link decided to step in.

"Howdy there! Welcome to the shop! Name's Tarin."

Link gazed at the brilliant display of merchandise.

The storekeeper asked, "You aren't from 'round these parts are ya?"

Link said no.

"Then feel free to ask about anything," Tarin said in a colloquial way.

The little girl spoke up. "Hello! I am Marin. My father's shop surely will have something that interests you."

If anything was sure, it was that she was the cutest thing in Castilla. Link nodded.

After a little commotion outside, Groose came into the store and complained. "Shucks, Dad, everybody thinks that my Groosinator is a big joke. People should realize that just because something is made out of recycled material doesn't mean it's junk. Someday they will find out that they were wrong and should have shown a little respect."

Link looked over at Groose and assumed that he was another one of Tarin's children. Where did they get their red hair from? Apparently it had to be their mother.

Tarin tried to comfort him. "Ah, dontcha worry Groose. You already got your work cut out for you with those twenty orders from the army."

Groose scratched the back of his head. "Well, actually...uh...the army only ordered one for a test run."

Tarin raised his voice. "Now see here, Groose! I won't have ye makin' up some sorta false advertising and ruining our reputation!"

A red-haried woman appeared form the back of the store. She was Tarin's wife whom the children got their red hair from.

She whispered, "Shh! We have company."

Tarin looked over at Link who was engrossed in the wide array of things to buy; he was the only customer.

"Fine. We will talk about this later, Groose."

Groose went to the back of the building rather flustered. Link espied everything in the store thoroughly before picking something out. From Kokiri and his purchases at other places, Link already had a sword, a shield, a supposedly magical ocarina, a bow with arrows, but few practical tools. A strange device made from metal caught his eye. It had a triangular tip and a long extension cord. He picked it up and brought it to Tarin and asked what is was.

Tarin grinned. "That there is a hookshot. It can be used to overcome gaps and steep inclines. You press this button—don't press it though; that pointed edge could darn near kill somebody—and the sharp edge goes flying. Once it strikes its target, the extension cord rewinds and jerks whoever is holdin' it to the spot where he aimed. Mighty useful, but ye may pull your arm out o-socket if ye ain't careful."

Link was sold. "How much?" he asked.

"Well...these things are rare. I'll have to charge you five hundred rupees for it."

Marin looked disapprovingly at her father. Tarin had been trying to sell the contraption for months, but now that he finally had a buyer, he was charging too steep a price. Link shook his head in disappointment.

"I will have to come back for it another time."

Link was making some money from his work with the Castillian trainees. Perhaps he could use that. Marin tilted her head at Tarin to say "I told you so." Tarin just shrugged while Link stared at the hookshot dreamily.

"Could you...hold it for me?"

Marin gave her father a nod.

Tarin quickly answered, "Sure thing!"

No one else was going to purchase it anyway.

"Who shall I address it for?"

Link stayed awkwardly silent for twenty seconds. All he knew was that his first name was Link, he was a Hylian from Castle Town, and that he was destined to be a warrior.

"Would 'Link' be enough?"

Tarin scratched his head.

"Just 'Link'?"

Link nodded. Tarin had never heard that name before, but it sounded fitting.

"All right, I guess since I don't know anybody with that name but you, that'll work fine."

Link stayed in the shop for a while longer and eventually purchased some clothing: a wooly green shirt that was durable and warm. Tarin asked Link why he got more green clothes when he was already wearing green. Link said that he had become accustomed to it from growing up in the Kokiri Forest. Because Tarin seemed interested, Link told him all about Kokiri for a good five minutes.

"Kokiri has got the biggest mushrooms in Hyrule you say? I will have to go there some day and see for myself!"

Tarin was a big fan of mushrooms and toadstools.

000

When Link left the shop, he realized that he had spent more time there than he probably should have. The setting sun gave the already romantic town a beautiful orange tint. As Link quickly marched over a bridge that separated Rougenforte from the rest of Castilla, he was interrupted by something strange calling out to him.

A mechanical voice slowly became audible: "Come down here, under the bridge."

Link finished crossing the bridge and cautiously looked below himself.

"Closer," it demanded.

Link walked perpendicular to the bridge to get a look at what was down there without actually getting near.

"Stop! Come back."

The suave voice materialized into a mere shadow that was indiscernible with the sun being so low in the sky. Every inner warning that Link knew was telling him not to go down there. Even his guts knew when something was wrong.

The voice continued. "I need to talk to you."

Link's instincts told him run or kill. Neither choice seemed suitable for the situation though.

"I am getting impatient."

Maybe Link could get that thing to come to him instead of the other way around?

"Fine! Have it your way!"

The shadow splashed through the tiny stream that the bridge covered and quickly went up the small incline separating itself from Link.

Link pulled out his sword and shield as the shadow abruptly stopped right in front of him. Link was horrified. Before him stood a being exactly like himself, only its body was black and its eyes were an evil red.

It spoke. "Hello," Link did not mutter a single word. "...brother."

What the heck? Before Link could try to cipher what that was all about, the shadow attacked with a sword shockingly like Link's. Link immediately blocked, but he was left no opening to make his own attacks. The fighting was fierce and fast. The reflexes of the polar opposites were so sharp that they were blocking each other's blows sword on sword. Every move Link knew was always countered by his ghastly copy.

"Enough," a different voice spoke, seemingly from the clouds.

Link was far from finished, but the shadow of himself backed up and then slowly disappeared. Only seconds after the battle had begun, everything was again perfectly normal; but Link was deeply disturbed. Seeing his own image in such an evil form shocked him to the core. What was that? And who was talking to it? What did it want with Link? And why had it attacked him? Link struggled to convince himself that what had happened was real. Then again, monsters were not supposed to be real either, but the Legends and his own experience obviously disproved that.

Link felt that he should tell someone else about what had happened, but knowing the superstitions of Castillians, they would probably just say that he was being haunted—haunted by his own evil mind. Link quickly discarded that scary idea and decided to continue back to the castle for dinner and a good night's rest. Maybe he could think more about what to do in the morning.

000

Back in Castilla Castle, a guard knocked on King Hubert's bedroom and went in.

"Sire, your dinner is ready."

Hubert stood up from his desk where he had been writing a letter to Hyrule to express his gratitude for the Hylians that had given their lives the other day defending his caravan.

"Very well. Has Master Link returned yet?"

"He is waiting for you."

"The royal family is there as well?"

"They await your presence also."

"Good."

Hubert walked over to his desk and quickly signed his name onto the letter and stamped it with his seal.

"Address this to the king of Hyrule and have it sent with tomorrow's mail."

"As you wish."

The servant bowed and took his leave.

Hubert quickly put on his cape and crown and proceeded to the dining hall. After descending three flights of stairs, he came to the door of the room where Link and Prince Phillip were audibly talking. That was unusual since Link and Phillip were both quiet boys.

Two guards opened the double doors to the dining room and announced Hubert with unnecessary drama.

"His Majesty, the King."

Everyone stood up. The only other people there were Hubert's wife and his three other children.

"Please be seated."

Hubert's wife took the first bite, as part of proper manners.

Link had had no idea how he was going to get through a formal meal with the king himself. As soon as he arrived at the castle, he was told that King Hubert had invited him to dine with the royal family. That was doomsday. Link had no time to prepare and felt defeated at the sight of seven utensils at his place.

Luckily, Phillip was able to give Link a quick lesson in Castillian etiquette before Hubert arrived. Meanwhile, Phillip's younger siblings told jokes, knowing how to hide their laughter from years of practice growing up as princesses and a prince. Phillip was going over buttering bread when Hubert entered.

Link began eating and tried his best to remember everything Phillip had said. He got knocked out of his concentration by the sound of King Hubert's voice.

"Master Link, have you ever considered what you might do with your proficient skill in battle?"

Link put down his fork and swallowed.

"Your Majesty, it has always been my wish to protect people."

The truth was that Link had been told from the start that he was to become a warrior; although he gladly took up his duty, he really had no choice.

Hubert decided to be blunt.

"How would you like to be a Castillian knight?"

Link struggled to contain his emotions; that was exactly what he wanted.

"I would be very honored to accept that, but...am I not too young?"

Hubert smiled and said, "In Castilla, we have certain positions that are for younger knights. One such position is that of a guardian of the royal family, specifically a guardian of a prince or princess. Since we currently have no one in this position, regular troops have to be used whenever Phillip or one of the others leave the castle grounds. A designated guardian is something we are in need of."

Link took a moment to absorb the information.

"Could I...be this knight?"

Hubert smiled again and repeated, "That is what I am offering you."

"Then I most graciously accept."

Phillip stood up.

"Congratulations Link! Now you are an official guardian of the royal family!"

Hubert corrected, "He must still be sworn in."

Phillip and the other royal children looked excited to have their own personal knight, and Link could not believe his luck. He had a job, and all it took to get it was some fancy brawling with monsters! As Hubert and Phillip discussed the appropriate time for the knighting ceremony, Link could not help but think that maybe castle life was not going to be so bad after all.

000

Author's Note:

*Rougenforte is a coined name taken taken from foreign words for red and strong. 


	9. Castilla or Hyrule?

Chapter 9: Castilla or Hyrule?

After accepting King Hubert's offer of knightship, Link eagerly finished his dinner and went straight to bed. He must have had good dreams that night. In Link's short ten years of life, he never really knew what his future held. All he had ever been told was what the Great Deku Tree had repeatedly reminded him:

"Thy destiny is heavy-laden with burden and monumental purpose...you have a great task to perform in the destruction of evil."

Now Link had an occupation to build upon and free residence. Of course Link knew that his job did not free him from his bigger responsibillities, but at least he had some security.

Link slept straight through the night and did not wake up until he felt a tug on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw a familiar face: Valdar. *Valdar was a man Link met in the Castillian Caravan; he was one of Phillip's favorite guards. Valdar did odd jobs around the castle and traveled with the royal family. In reality, Valdar was a covert member of Castilla's elite Iron Guards, a group that did special operations for the king. Valdar's current assignment was to ensure that Link was sincere.

"Good morning, Link"

Valdar opened the drapes and let the beaming light come into the otherwise dark castle.

"Thanks for getting me up." Link sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Valdar pulled some clothes out of a dresser. "Normal routine in the castle." He put the clothes down on the bed. "Here is what you will need to wear for the ceremony."

Link looked dissatisfied with the drab knight's uniform. He would rather wear his green shirt, tights, and awesome hat.

"I hope they fit well enough. Once you get knighted you will get measured for a full set of clothing," Link opened his mouth to speak, but Valdar already knew what he wanted to know, "You will get to choose from different styles and colors of clothing."

"Will I need any armor or weapons for the ceremony?" Link asked.

Valdar explained, "A soldier customarily wears his full gear during ceremonies, but considering that you have never been a part of Castillian armed forces, you need only wear this."

Valdar hung Link's new clothes over a screen for Link to dress behind. As Link was getting dressed, Valdar told him where he could get breakfast and exactly how the ceremony would proceed.

"Since you are not a soldier of Castilla nor even a citizen, you will have to be sworn in before the ceremony can commence; it is required that you voice your allegiance to Castilla. I assume you understand that this severs any connection you may have had to Hyrule during your days in Kokiri?"

"I am ready to give my life to Castilla, but—" Link did not know how to word it.

"But what? There can be no doubts in your mind." Valdar no longer seemed to be his jocular self.

"It's just...I thought that Hyrule and Castilla were becoming one kingdom?"

Link had heard that Phillip was betrothed to the princess of Hyrule. Naturally he preferred to be able to serve both kingdoms when needed. Link did not like the possibility of having to choose Castilla over Hyrule if a situation ever came down to that.

Valdar's frown receded. "Oh, that. Yes, I have heard that Castilla is supppossed to become a province of Hyrule when Phillip ascends the throne."

Something about the way Valdar said that implied that he did not like the idea.

"I hope it'll turn out okay."

Link was genuinely worried. Perhaps the great evil he supposedly was responsible to destroy had something to do with Hyrule and Castilla.

"Yes, I believe it is for the greater good, but I do think that Castilla's pride is being hurt by this." The guard sniffed in disgust before continuing. "Hey, you almost done getting dressed? You still have to wash up too. Din, even my wife—" Valdar paused for no reason and changed his tone. "—could get ready faster than you."

After washing his face, Link came out with the blue uniform on.

"Were you saying something about me being girlish?"

Only Link and Valdar (and to a lesser degree Phillip) were informal enough to joke.

"Nothing at all, young Hero." Valdar absentmindly said hero, but that was indeed a fitting name for Link. "You look fine. Now go and get some breakfast. I got some other things to do this morning before the ceremony."

The green boy nodded earnestly.

Link took the directions that Valdar gave him to get to the mess hall. When he finally found the place, only a few cooks and officers were still there; everyone else had already eaten, having been up since five o'clock. Link timidly walked in and looked for a clue as to what he should do next.

"Grab yourself a bowl son." A sergeant-cook with anchor tatoos on his forearm spoke to Link with a husky voice. "Nothin' like a good ole' military breakfast, eh?"

He laddled on some sort of sticky grains onto Link's dish. Link tasted it cautiously and found that despite its unpleasant texture, it was not as bad as it looked. He looked around as he ate. The room was gloomy and quite dark and...brown; everything was brown: the walls, the floor, the tables, the chairs—even Link's bowl.

Link sat down at a table on the empty side of the mess hall; the other half was apparently reserved for officers. That was strange. Link had read that normal military protocol usually provided separate facilities for officers. That was not so in Castilla though.

Link eavesdropped on the unsuspecting men.

"Captain, was the monster battle the other day really as bad as everybody says?" A young lieutenant was a little disheartened by the news of the ferocious monster attacks.

The captain leaned in and whispered, "Quite frankly, even with the help of the Hylians knights, I doubt the royal family would have escaped unscathed if it weren't for that talented lad that came in the nick of time. Stalfos were headed straight for the king as though they were sent to get him. I believe that those monsters were being guided by some greater evil."

The officers nodded in agreement. Link was a little sidetracked by what they were saying and starred at the men with a blank expression that made the captain notice Link.

"Gentlemen! The very boy is standing right before us!" Link got out of his trance when the captain addressed him. "Young Lad, please come over here."

Link reluctantly obeyed, leaving behind his breakfast.

"Please bring that with you."

That was kind of him; Link did not have all day to chat while his porrage became cold. Link said nothing and sat down at the end of the table with the captain at his side.

"Are you not the brave warrior who defended the king in the monster battle the other day?"

"Yes, Sir; I am."

"Hardly anyone has seen you since then; King Hubert has been keeping you from us." He observed Link's clothing and wondered what he was doing in the army mess hall. "Have you been accepted as—why are you wearing that uniform?"

"Today I am to be knighted." Link had quite a knack for being vague.

"Knighted?!"

Link nodded. "As a guardian of the royal family."

A few heads looked up. So that was why Hubert had kept Link to himself.

"Well...Congratulations! I was aware someone was being knighted today, but I had no idea that it was you." The captain looked at the sun. "I suppose you should be getting along then?"

Link, who had cunningly finished his meal in between the captain's questions, stood up.

"Yes, Sir. Please excuse me."

The officers nodded and Link left on his quick feet as fast as he came.

One of the officers asked, "Captain, THAT is the boy that supposedly 'saved the day'?"

"Precisely."

The lieutenant who had first asked the captain about Link was dismayed. "There is something about him that makes me uneasy—he's too smart. How can King Hubert appoint someone whom we know so little about?"

The captain (the only person who was present at the monster battle) answered, "He trusts him. Why, on the night of the monster attack, Link even slept in the same tent as Prince Phillip!"

Another officer chimed in. "This is all very weird. King Hubert hasn't been acting himself lately; monsters keep appearing out of nowhere, and now this unbelievable kid has appeared and suddenly been given a gratuitous offer of knightship. Hubert is taking a large risk by trusting him. I fear that something ominous is happening to our world."

Someone else objected, "Stop making rumors. Perhaps the boy is just a blessing given to us in our time of need. Who knows? With his unusual abillities, maybe he has power bestowed by the goddesses themselves."

The captain did not like that sort of talk. "Will you men cease being so superstitious? Let us just do our duty and hope for the best. Although I believe Link means well, we should all keep an eye on him; I would certainly like to know more about this mysterious child anyway."

Everyone murmured in agreement.

000

In another part of the castle, Link arrived at the door to the courtyard where he was to be knighted. Two tall spearsmen guarded the entrance. They demanded authentication.

"What business have ye here?"

"I am Link."

"That means nothng. What is your last name?"

Before Link could answer, the guard that had been silent showed his partner a piece of paper.

The first guard read slowly, "...Master Link...of Kokiri...to be knighted tomorrow —that's today."

Link could not understand what the guard was mumbling.

"You may proceed."

The large double-doors opened wide and let in the hot August sun.

Link advanced into what looked like an empty courtyard. It was surrounded by the castle on all four sides and was filled with lush vegetation. The otherwise unattractive castle looked pleasing from that view. Rose vines crawled up the walls until they reached small balconies. The area had a wonderful scent and a touch of mystery. It looked like a place where one would dream of meeting their love.

Link took a right turn and found an old man standing next to an antique fountain and a small pedestal. Link must have been early.

He said to the old man rather loudly, "Greetings."

"Uh?" The man turned around and put his glasses on, "Oh! You must be Master Link. I am Sahasrahla. I have orders to swear you in."

Sahasrahla had been serving Castilla for nearly sixty years. He was a respected and trusted elder that had excellent magic skills. Sahasrahla opened up an extremely large book that was lying on the pedestal. He flipped the pages until he came to one that said "Guardians of the Royal Family under King Hubert II." Link took a closer look at the page. On it were the names and personal information of all the many people who had held the position Link was trying to claim. Link observed the reasons for their terminations. Several said that they were killed in action, others were dishonorably discharged, but by far, most of them simply said "transferred."

In Castilla, it was customary for a royal guardian to be under the age of twenty. Once a knight reached that age, he would generally join the army or a higher order of knights.

Sahasrahla took out a pen and asked, "Name?"

Not that again! Link still only had a first name.

"Link."

The old man was patient. "I need your surname."

"I do not know who my parents were."

"I see." Sahasrahla wrote down Link's last name as unspecified.

"Age?"

"Ten years."

Sahasrahla asked and answered the next questions himself: "Eye color: blue. Hair: blond. Etcetera, etcetera." Sahasrahla quickly filled out some other things that Link did not need to answer, for they were obvious.

"Now then, put one hand on this book, and the other in the air like so. Repeat after me: I do solemnly swear," Link followed with the same words.

"to serve Castilla with complete devotion,"

"and to obey all laws governing me,"

"and all persons set above me."

"I pledge to protect the people from all harm, domestic and foreign,"

"and to do all in my power to promote the preservation of peace."

"I take this oath in the fear of the most-high goddesses with absolute sincerity."

"...with absolute sincerity."

As Link finished the last part, King Hubert, Prince Phillip, and some other government officials and guards entered the courtyard. Link and Sahasrahla bowed as Hubert passed by. Link's heartbeat quickened. A guard handed the king a golden sword.

Hubert called out, "Master Link, step forward."

Link kneeled with his head facing downward, and Hubert put the sword on Link's back and dubbed him. Link then read (since he had not memorized) a second oath and Hubert iterated the words pertaining to the guardian order of knights.

Hubert finished and said, "Now arise, Sir Knight."

Another man handed Link a sword with his initial (L) engraved on it. Link molded his hand to the sword and found it had the perfect balance and weight.

A government official congratulated Link, "Welcome to the armed forces." He added with a whisper, "Be sure to protect the royal family with your life; it's quite the honor."

Link noticed that Sahasrahla and Valdar, who had just arrived, were speaking with the king. Strangely, Hubert had not shown the least bit of emotion throughout the entire ceremony; he acted as though he had never known Link.

Hubert called Link again, "Sir Link, come here." The short-lived title "Master Link" had been replaced.

Hubert's mouth was a straight line. "You will now go on your first assignment. Prince Phillip and his younger brother are going riding in the country. You will escort them and ensure they return before noon. A horse will be provided for you, and you will be given a map and some instructions for navigation."

The trip was one of many trials concocted by Valdar and Hubert to see if Link would possibly be a traitor or deserter. Phillip and his brother were to take weapons in case something went wrong.

Hurbert said to his son whom Link had not noticed, "Phillip, go tell Richard that we are ready. Valdar, show Sir Link the way to the stables."

At ten years old like Link, Richard was the third child of King Hubert. The young prince was an amusing know-it-all who typically acted snobbishly and liked to play tricks on his few friends. Though Richard was a smart student and amateur researcher, Link found him to be childish and ingenuine. Since Richard took little notice of Link, the two of them usually avoided confrontation.

Valdar led Link to an old stable that smelled quite revolting. By the time Link had strapped his shield and bow to his back and memorized all the directions, Phillip and Richard appeared.

Phillip mounted the first horse he could find and explained, "At Lon Lon Ranch my steed is being cared for where he can roam freely."

Lon Lon Ranch was a respected landmark on the border of Castilla that was to be one of their main stops on the trip.

The trio came to the castle gate and Link shouted, "Open up for the princes!"

After a quick whisper between the guards, the gate lowered slowly; and Link suddenly realized the huge responsibility he now had; he was too young for such things! As the three traveled side by side, Phillip and Richard spoke about history while Link remained quiet and alert. After a quick stop in town, they proceeded to Lon Lon Ranch. Phillip said that according to legend, the ranch used to be in Hyrule many centuries ago, but its location had been moved during one of the devasting wars caused by Ganon.

Richard finally addressed Link coldly, "Guardian, I am informed that you were once an inhabitant of the magical Kokiri Forest. Pray tell me, did you ever happen to see a fairy?"

"Yes, Prince Richard, several of them."

"Oh, really? Fascinating how such rare, mythical creatures dwell so profusely there." Richard knew all about Kokiri from his studies.

Phillip pointed. "I see the ranch."

As they neared Lon Lon, a Hylian with a royal emblem on his tunic showed up and unmounted his horse.

Phillip voiced concern. "I wonder who that is."

Richard monotonously stated, "Probably a messenger. No concern of ours presently."

A hired hand came out and took their horses and tied them up.

"Good day, Your Highnesses. Talon waits for you inside."

Talon was the ranch owner and was well acquainted with the princes. Phillip lead the way in while Link tagged along behind. A man strikingly similar to the general store owner Link knew got up from his seat and welcomed the royal clients.

"Prince Phillip and Prince Richard! Welcome back to Lon Lon!" Talon ignored Link, thinking him to be just another soldier.

Phillip knew how to handle that. "Talon, this is Sir Link, our personal guardian."

Talon immediately offered a hand. "Pleased to have you! Perhaps you will find yourself a horse here today?"

Link had always wanted a loyal pet. "It would be nice to have a ride I can depend on."

Talon turned around. "Excuse me." He shouted up the stairs with little thought of being rude, "Malon! MALON! Where are you? Romani! The princes are here!"

The two twin red-heads came in from outside and courtsied.

"There you are! Please take the princes to their horses."

Malon stepped forward. "Of course, Father. Your Highnesses, please follow me."

Malon was somewhat annoying and voluable. She adored Prince Richard to the point that it was embarrassing. However, Romani was a more reserved, shy girl that never said much. Link quickly came to realize that he liked Romani much better.

The girls led the princes to a field where horses were grazing. Phillip immediately ran ahead to his beautiful brown horse and gave it a pat on the nose and a carrot that was in his pocket. Malon went in the other direction with Richard to his stallion, leaving Link unsure where to go.

He then realized that he and Romani were standing out in the middle of the field together.

"Please Knight, tell me your name."

He swallowed and said meekly, "Link."

"Sir Link..."

Romani took a moment to think about it, giving Link an opportunity to say something.

"I must confess: I am kind of new to this guardian business. Do the princes usually ride any which way around the field?"

Link hoped he could get some information out of Romani about past visits.

She answered, "Yes, but sometimes they take their horses traveling; other times they bring them to the castle for a while."

Romani appeared to want to end the conversation, so Link left it at that.

Just then, the Hylian messenger the princes had seen earlier came running out to Link.

"Pardon me, Sir Link, but the owner Talon told me you were here."

Link nodded.

"I so happen to have a letter to you from the government of Hyrule. I was wondering if perhaps you would accept it here?" The Hylian knew that it was not normal protocol to serve people mail in the middle of a horse field.

"Surely."

The messenger handed him the letter with Hyrule's emblem. "I really appreciate this. I would have had to borrow another horse to get to the castle."

Link noticed that the Hylian was a boy like himself and encouraged him, "You have done your duty."

The Hylian just stood there. He finally asked Link, "Are you—you are a Hylian, correct?"

"Yes."

Romani was walking away; she did not like strangers.

"Well, good luck to you! I must return now and inform King Harkinian that you received the letter."

Link nodded in a bored manner. He was getting overwhelmed by royalty. After taking a quick look at the surroundings, Link surmised that he need not follow the princes around the field. Perhaps he could just stand there and watch.

A voice inside him begged, "The letter!"

"No, no," Link told himself, "it would be unfit for a knight to read a letter in the middle of a field."

"But he said King Harkinian!"

"Silence!"

"This could be important, maybe even relating to the Great Evil!"

"Enough!"

Link finished battling himself in his own mind and ripped the letter open:

"The Government of Hyrule led by His Majesty King Harkinian.  
To the brave warrior that voluntarily risked his life to protect the royal family of the honorable ingdom of Castilla:  
We cordially request that you return to your native land of Hyrule. You have been chosen as a candidate for becomming a knight for your great show of expertise and character."

How did Hyrule know so much about Link?

"Respond promptly by mail and take serious consideration of what knighthood might do for you." At the end of the brusque letter, the official seal of King Harkinian himself was stamped.

Become a knight of Hyrule? Though Link had just become a Castillian knight, the offer from Hyrule still seemed absurd. Hyrule was a much more sophisticated society that had tremendous prestige. Link felt extremely honored that his little deed the other day had warranted such an offer from Hyrule. But no, he could not accept it. He had sworn allegiance to Castilla and he could not change that now. Link hoped that his choice would not interfere with his job to save Hyrule from some "Great Evil."

But how was Link going to properly reply? It seemed his only excuse was the truth: he had already become a knight of Castilla. Link had always dreamed of being in the magnificent castle of Hyrule, but he had also grown to like the casual atmosphere of Castilla. The thought of having to speak in a certain way, dress with silly clothing, and strictly adhere to the ideals of chivalry was enough to convince Link that Castilla was best for him. But then again, Hyrule was his responsibility—his real home—his destiny.

Link thought, "It is as though my arms are being pulled in opposite directions, and my heart knows not what side to take."

000

Author's Note:

*Valdar is not related to the Legend of Zelda and is one of the few non-canon characters in this story. 


	10. A Horse for Link

Chapter 10: A Horse for Link

Link made up his mind. He had sworn to serve Castilla unto death; therefore, he had no choice but to reject the offer from Hyrule. Though Hyrule was indeed the more beneficial option, it was the principle that mattered. Because Link had already chosen Castilla, he had to honor his word.

Link tucked the paper in his pocket and looked around the ranch. Phillip, Richard, Talon's girls, and the Hylian messenger were all still around him. He saw Phillip's horse trot over to Richard's and the two boys quickly converse before they came back him. Everyone else parted ways. Malon left to care for the horses while Romani went back into the ranch, and the Hylian messenger was on his horse, ready to head back to Hyrule.

Phillip unmounted and walked over to Link. "My apologies for leaving you here so long without any instructions," Phillip actually knew that the long wait was a test of Link's disposition, "but now we must depart for a visit to the army's forward outpost to the north of here." Phillip pointed on the map, and Link vaguely remembered the small fort. "Richard and I shall leave through the back gate. Tell Malon that we will return with the horses within an hour. We will be waiting for you at the front entrance; I am sure Malon will have your horse watered and ready."

Link nodded and waited for the princes to get started before going over to the stable. In transit, he walked past a horse that was tied to a pole and was eating grass next to a tree that stood out in the otherwise bare field. Link then curiously entered into the spacious, well-nurtured stable. In one of the stalls, Link saw Malon feeding an old gray horse. He cleared his throat.

Malon turned around and seemed disappointed. "Oh, Sir Link."

Link could not decide whether her tone was condescending, plain bored, or perhaps uninterested. Since cleaning stables was certainly not fun, Link could not blame her for being a little unenthusiastic.

"Anything you need?" she asked.

Link explained that the princes were leaving temporarily and that he was going to accompany them.

"So soon? Your poor horse is still sweaty from the trip here." Malon rubbed the top of the horse's nose.

"I can take another, right?" Link was still quite new to horse business.

"The princes' horses from the castle are tired too." Malon clearly had a great passion and understanding of animals.

"One of the others here will do." Link thought he could simply take his pick.

Malon frowned. "Many of these horses are not ours to do as we please with; we just care for them. And my father would never let me send you off with our other ones because they are worth too much."

Link observed the broad, muscular chests of Lon Lon Ranch's prize stallions. He did not understand why he could not borrow one.

Malon pondered. "However, there is one that might do."

"Yes...?" Link wanted to get it over with; the princes were waiting.

"Follow me."

Malon led Link out of that portion of the stables to the other side of the ranch. When they passed a field where cows were grazing, Link remembered that Lon Lon Ranch was well-known for its luscious, fresh milk. After walking over a small field of grass, Malon opened a creaky door to an old barn. A chicken went flying and the characteristic smell of farm manure filled Link's nostrills. Beams of light shone through the cracks in the wooden planks that made up the thin walls. The hayloft above looked perfect for sleeping in, and a rusted plow gave proof that Lon Lon had not always been all pastureland.

Link saw the beast he was to ride. It was a young chestnut horse, with a perfect white dot on its forehead and a white belly. Beautiful was the only term Link could appropriate.

Malon introduced it. "This is Epona, a stubborn little filly that has refused to let a single customer ride her. Sometimes, she lets me ride her around the field, but she might not accept you." Malon made a little pout and paused. "It's worth a try though."

Link nodded, deeply absorbed in the horse's perfect coat. He walked into Epona's stall and rubbed her nose. In response, Epona let out a high-pitched sound that seemed to symbolize her shyness.

"Here," Malon handed Link a cube of sugar, "Give this to her to let her know you like her."

Link offered the timid horse the treat slowly and patted her soft back. Malon put a saddle on Epona as Link fed her.

"Now try mounting her, slowly and gently; speak to her in a soothing tone."

Link jumped up on the wooden railing surrounding Epona's stall and slowly put one of his feet into position.

Link said in a voice nothing like his own, "Don't be afraid. I am just going to sit on your back." He lowered himself cautiously. "There. That was certainly not so bad, eh?" Link massaged Epona and continued talking to her.

Malon was silent. It was surprising to see such a particular horse accept such an amatuer rider with such little resistance.

"So far so good. Let's take her outside."

Malon opened the gate to Epona's stall and slowly led her out of the barn. The bad-natured filly seemed uninterested and walked with her head down. Malon stopped in the middle of a field and watched Epona for any signs of a change in mood. Link was unsure what to do, but Epona felt confortable enough to chew on the grass. Malon handed Link the reins.

"It's amazing. She doesn't even seem to realize your presence. Try guiding her around the field."

Link disturbed Epona's snack and rather sloppily made her turn around. However, once Link pushed her to start going, Epona got into a trot without a complaint. He practiced with Epona for a minute and found her to be reliably responsive.

Link blurted somewhat impetuously, "I want to take her—I'll even buy her later too."

Malon shook her head. "To sell this horse to you would be taking advantage of your lack of knowledge in animals, but I suppose she will make a good replacement for the time being." Malon was not afraid to point out the young knight's ignorance.

"Well, I must be going." Link pushed Epona to start a little too abruptly, and she responded by jumping up on her back legs and giving out a call of triumph. Link pulled out his sword to dramatize the scene, "I shall return within the hour mi'lady!" Epona started running, jerking Link down and forcing him to stop goofing around.

Malon crossed her arms and shook her head as she watched Link clumsily make his way to the gate. "Silly boy. I hope he becomes someone reputable." She turned around and returned to her chores. As she walked away, she sang a folksy tune with a pure voice, "La la la, de de de, da da da, da, da. La, la, la, tra la la. Lon Lon Ranch!"

000

Back at the entrance, Phillip and Richard sat on their horses, wondering what was taking their guardian so long. After a while, Link finally came on Epona's swift legs. He had to verbally calm Epona down to get her to stop.

Richard said in his nonchalant tone, "I see you decided to return."

"Malon told me that our horses from the castle still needed rest, so I had to take another. I am sorry to have kept you waiting."

Phillip's eyes were locked on Epona; he did not care about Link's two-minute delay. "What a beautiful horse. Is it a mare?"

"She is a young female. Her dislike of riding has kept her from being sold."

Phillip gave a puzzeled look and raised an eyebrow. Link was not the type of boy to give a temperamental horse to. "You seem to be handling her fine."

"She seems to not notice me, though she responds well to my guidance."

Richard was bored and not having any of it. "We really ought to be going now."

Phillip looked at the still rising sun. "Yes, we have much to do and little time to do it."

000

The ride to the army base was uneventful. Once they reached their destination, Phillip had a long talk with the colonel there about monsters and such. Meanwhile, Richard practiced archery with the relative protection of the army, leaving Link free to do as he pleased. Having learned of Link's short history in Castilla, a competitive, bearded sergeant asked Link for a duel to see if the lad really had any skill; but Link cleverly responded that he could not take up the offer because he could not jeopardize his responsibility to escort the princes back to the capital. Of course, Link also did not wish to duel with the man because of the vast differences in their height and body composition.

After a visit too boring for Link, the three boys returned their horses to Lon Lon. Link assured Malon that he really did like Epona and wished to claim her for his own. Malon only shrugged in response and said that she would have to ask her father Talon about it. Link had not even recieved his pay yet though. Considering that he still needed to buy the hookshot that was going to cost five hundred rupees, Link probably had to wait awhile before he could buy Epona.

When Link asked how much he owed the ranch for taking care of his horse and loaning Epona to him, Malon shook her head and said, somewhat annoyed, "The government does all of that; we are compensated for our services."

Link still had much to learn about being a knight.

000

Back in the Kokiri Forest, ten-year-old Zelda was no longer an irresponsible little princess. She had learned much magic from Impa and had become quite a scholar, having learned everything there was to know about the legends and Hyrule's recent history. Zelda was a master of Hylian writing, modern, regional, and ancient. However, Zelda had noticed something in her studies that was totally mind-boggling. The legends fit together perfectly chronologically until the legend of the Ocarina of Time. After that, some things simply did not piece together sensibly. It almost seemed as though the legends connected to each other in three separate blocks. After much consideration and research, Zelda decided she would bring the question to Impa.

Zelda put a book on her lap and asked, "Impa," the dependable Sheikah looked up from her sewing, "have you ever given much thought as to the reason why the legends do not seem to fit together well?"

Impa knew no definite answer. "That is an unsolved mystery of antiguity. No remedy has ever been found that would explain how Hyrule could have gone through such different eras without noticeable physical impact." Zelda's eyes widened out as she put all her brain power into thinking about the most-interesting question. "There was one philosopher who formulated a theory many years ago about this."

Impa got up from her seat and quickly scanned the enormous book shelf.

"Ah, here it is, Commentaries on the Untold Histories of Hyrule by Cargome and Trudl Edesius." Impa flipped through the pages and summarized the theory. "Edesius suggested that during the time travel of the Hero of a Time, three separate, um...timelines...were created, one in which the Hero defeated Ganon and continued his life from there, one in which the Princess Zelda returned the Hero to his childhood after defeating Ganon, and one in which the Hero was defeated."

"The Hero of Time defeated? I always thought that that disaster referred to some other hero."

"That is probably the case, but Edesius believed otherwise. He goes on to say that when that Zelda returned the Hero to his real time, he was split in two, continuing his life as an adult AND going to Termina as a child at the same time. He says that the stories of Hyrule being flooded come from the events following the 'Adult Timeline.'"

Zelda was locked in daydreaming. "Fascinating." Impa handed her the book, which Zelda let fall open naturally. "But how could he say that the Hero was also defeated at the same time?"

"Look for a chapter called 'The Downfall Timeline.' Supposedly, Din wanted the Hero to be defeated, while Nayru and Farore wanted him to succeed. Then Nayru was said to have desired for the Hero to return to his childhood while Farore wanted him to continue his life as a man. To settle their differences, the three goddesses created three parallel universes to suit their tastes. All this is what Edesius purely assumed to have happened." Zelda put her head back a little and frowned slightly. "It is this ternary aspect which Edesius concocted that turns many people away from his theory, though it is the only plausible explanation of the legends' incongruences that has ever been proposed."

The three separate timelines reminded Zelda of the Triforce. "But if there are three different Hyrules, would that not imply that we are a part of one of them and therefore should not know anything about the other two?"

Impa admired Zelda's quick conclusion. "Yes, but he also tries to explain that. In the end of the book, he surmises that the three parallel universes were brought together again into one timeline by divine intervention. This part of his theory is what I disagree with: it lacks any evidence."

Zelda glanced over the last few pages and then eagerly turned the book to the beginning. "Thank you for the information. I must look over this in greater detail."

Impa smiled to herself and returned to her chores. Zelda was such a cute little scholar.

000

Navi and her companions Tael and Tatl had just finished one of their check-ups on Zelda, but now they were going to see Saria and the other Forest Children. Navi was in for a shock when she found out that Link had left Saria at the Great Deku Tree's command.

She protested, "What?! For Nayru's Love! He's just ten years old!" Navi was outraged. "If the Great Deku Tree thinks he can send a child alone into a world full of monsters just because he was 'informed by a spirit' or some garbage, he's got another thing coming!"

Saria tried to dissuade Navi from going to see the Tree, but the fairies were determined to speak with him. Saria told them where to find him, but when they arrived, the Tree was sleeping as usual. Tael awakened him with a thump, and Navi flew in front of the Tree's face, her invisible arms crossed over her chest.

"Where is Link, Mr. Know-It-All!?"

He made an peculiar gargling sound and answered, "The boy whom ye speak of hast gone into Castilla to begin fulfilling his duties as the Hero." The Tree yawned, "Who hast told thee where I am? From whence have ye come?"

Castilla? The Hero?! Navi's fire was put out. "Wait a second, are you telling me that Link and the young warrior we heard about from the monster battle the other day are one in the same?"

"I answered your first question; now answer ye mine."

Tatl rolled her eyes but Navi responded to get the Tree to talk, "Saria."

The Deku Tree frowned. "Hmmm...I will have to speak with her."

Navi pressed him again. "Well, are you going to answer my question now?"

The Deku Tree calmly revealed, "Yes, yes, Link is the lad ye speak of. He is the Hero."

Tael finally stepped in. "What do you mean by 'Hero'?"

"Thou hast already been told about Zelda, correct?"

Navi answered, "Yes, she is the Princess of Destiny."

The Tree stated simply, "And young Link is the Hero of Destiny, the counterpart."

The three fairies hovered around the Tree and looked at each other but said nothing. Why had they not realized it sooner? They had to tell everyone, especially the king and queen. The fairies were not aware that Impa already knew that Link was the Hero. This was big news to them!

000

In Hyrule Castle, King Harkinian paced back and forth in the royal chamber.

"Where on earth is that fairy?"

Queen Leah was sitting down on a comfortable chair (not her throne), sipping some tea.

"Oh, Dear, please calm down! Navi should be here any second to tell us all about our well our daughter is faring."

"Yes, yes, yes, but I cannot stand these delays. Our daughter, the princess, all alone in the monster-infested Kokiri Forrest with but a single Sheikah to protect her. Naturally I am concerned."

Leah looked down at the floor. "I get worried as well. I have never ceased having visions about our darling Zelda."

Harkinian stopped moving and then walked up to his wife and whispered, "More visions? Are you sure that there is nothing we need to learn from this?"

"The things I see are mere prophecies: I see Zelda in many places, standing her ground and waging war against evil." Leah sounded a little proud that her daughter was to become such an important figure. "In some ways, these visions are a comfort to me. Because I see Zelda as a young adult, I am convinced that she will live to carry out her duties."

Harkinian was comforted by that as well. "Tell me...what does she look like?"

Leah said, "She has luscious blond hair of medium length, and a face that is both young and attractive and wise and understanding. Her eyes are blue, just as Navi told us, and very large and revealing of her emotions. She looks very much like an adult version of what Navi has described her as."

Harkinian rubbed his chin. "It is a pity we cannot communicate with her; I wish we could at least write to her—tell her that she does have parents that love her."

Leah molded her hand with Harkinian's as they exchanged understanding smiles. She felt the same way he did, but both of them were determined to allow Zelda to have a normal childhood and not be burdened by her huge responsibility; they also could not afford to have Zelda's assylum be discovered.

"Do not worry, I am sure Impa has told Zelda something about us, though it be generic."

Just then, a servant entered the royal chamber and bowed. "Your Majesty, the fairy Navi has returned. Shall I bring her here now?"

"Yes, yes, send her in immediately!" Harkinian turned to his wife. "I guarantee Navi will make another shallow excuse for being late." They both smiled and chuckled.

Navi flew in and Harkinian gave a gesture for the servant to close the huge doors and leave them alone. The purple orb fell to the floor in front of the seated royals.

"Your Majesties, I am delighted to tell you that Zelda is still in perfect health and is becomming quite the perfect young lady."

Harkinian was amused by Navi's attempts to find favor in his sight. He pretended to be angry.

"Very well. Now will you explain what kept you away for so long?"

Navi tried to sound innocent. "As we, that is I, Tael, and Tatl, were in Kokiri making sure that the Forest Children were not being molested by the monsters, I learned some disturbing news."

Harkinian tried to sound uninterested. "Oh, really?" Leah struggled to not grin.

"Yes, a boy who had been living among the Kokiri was suddenly sent away into Castilla."

"I know," Harkinian stated calmly.

Navi was surprised. "You...do?"

"He is the lad that helped our knights defend the Castillian caravan. I have sent him an invitation to come here and perhaps become a knight."

Navi would have had a priceless face if it were big enough to see. "But how...?"

"Nevermind. Our knights personally told me everything. Now what was so important about his departure that you were forced to be detained in Kokiri for so long?"

"Well, I, um...well you see—how can I explain?"

Harkinian drummed his fingers on a table. "Have you anything important to say?"

"Well, being rather blunt, Your Majesty, this boy is not only a skilled swordsman that helped your troops. The Great Deku Tree told me that he is also the Hero we have been so ardently searching for; his name is Link."

000 


	11. Payday

Chapter 11: Payday

After safely bringing the princes back to the castle, Link had luncheon, attended several boring conferences as a guard, and gave the young trainees some sword tips. In the evening, Link was told that he could do as he pleased, so he wrote out his letter of honorable rejection to Hyrule's request for him to become a knight. He explained that he had recently become a Castillian knight and could not accept Hyrule's generous offer. He closed with a insightful remark:

"Considering that Castilla is to become a self-governing region of Hyrule in my lifetime, it is guaranteed that I will eventually be in Hyrule's service. I look forward to being in your armed forces in the future. May the goddesses continue to bless and guide your glorious kingdom.

With utmost respect,

Sir Link, Guardian of the Royal Family of Castilla"

Link felt quite awkward sending the letter out. Signing his name as he did felt wong and self-esteeming. He also hated the pompous wording he had used; he could definitely do without all the sugar and subtleties of high society in general. Life in Castilla was much more Link's style and allowed him to act genuinely. Nevertheless, Link sent the formal response unchanged to Hyrule the very next day.

Link's role as a royal guardian quickly became dull like any other job. Either Link was standing on his feet all day in the castle doing practically nothing, or he was accompanying the princes on stressful rides across the countryside. However, Link did get to ride Epona quite often and quickly developed a deep bond with her on the princes' many escapades. Talon agreed to sell Epona to Link for the sum of two hundred rupees, a cheap price because she was virtually useless as a riding horse to anybody except Link.

Link waited and waited for his first payday, eager to see if he could immediately purchase both the hookshot from Tarin's store and Epona from Lon Lon Ranch. Link had accepted knighthood without having any idea what his salary would be. He dared not ask, for fear of appearing greedy. Anyway, being a knight gave Link all his essentials for free, so he really did not need anything else urgently.

000

Several weeks after being knighted, Link climbed out of his bed rather early and prepared for another uneventful day. He opened the drapes to his enormous window and enjoyed the rising sunlight that was shining perfectly on the moving blades of grass of Castilla's vast plains. He sighed out of loneliness. He could use some excitement, not a conflict, but something of interest like a tournament.

While Link was breakfasting in the mess hall, Sahasrahla came by and told him that Castilla needed a full report on Link's first month of being a knight. Afterwards, Link was to receive his pay and be fitted for new uniforms. That part sounded good, but what was the report to be about?

Link was more than a little worried. How was he possibly going to speak about everything he had done since he left Kokiri? Doing so would be an intrusion of his privacy. Most notably, how was Link going to explain his strange encounters with that haunting dark being that resembled himself?

Sahasrahla sensed Link's uneasiness and said, "You will need to answer some questions, that is all." Link nodded and let out a sigh of relief. "Come to my office as soon as possible."

Link anxiously finished his meal and again thought about how he had gotten into the mess of Castillian knighthood. Link had few friends in the castle: most of the knights, soldiers, and workers were adults; the people he worked with, such as Valdar and the sword instructor, were not very amiable; and the royal family was still cold towards him with the exception of Phillip.

Link sighed again and headed over to Sahasrahla to see what he wanted. Finding the old man in the enormous castle required some assistance from servants and much patience on Link's part. He eventually got to the office and knocked on its cherry wood door and was immediately greeted by the soothing voice of Sahasrahla.

He opened the door and bowed. "Sir Link reporting as instructed." As Link spoke he noticed that the king himself was in the room as well. He bowed once more. "Your Majesty, it is good to see you again." Link spoke rather formally, distancing himself for no apparent reason.

"Link," King Hubert gestured for him to come in, "It has been too long since we last conversed freely." Link nodded. "Hyrule has been sending me long letters about you."

Link gave a puzzled look. Though he knew that he must eventually free Hyrule from some great evil, he was still very much unaware that he was the one and only Hero. However, the leaders of Hyrule knew who he was, and they had told King Hubert about that information as well.

Link gave a blank stare and answered, "I hope they are not trying to take me away from my duties in your kingdom."

Hubert relaxed a little. "On the contrary: Hyrule has told me to not let you leave for any reason; they seem to think you are one of great importance."

"I am flattered, Your Majesty."

For some reason, Link always sounded snooty when he tried to be proper. His words never seemed to have any feeling behind them. It was strange hearing quiet Link speak like a diplomat.

King Hubert got up. "I must be leaving now. I will not keep you and Sahasrahla waiting."

Sahasrahla bowed his head. "It is always a pleasure to speak with you, my king."

Sahasrahla was knowledgeable in many fields, and Hubert benefited greatly from his conversations with the old man. The two of them were some of the few left in Castilla that still adhered to old customs and morals. In the elected government there was a move toward making Castilla an independent republic free from Gerudo and Hyrulean influence. Though their motives were patriotic, the Castillian officials were endangering their country by trying to abandon all common law and use violent militias to make radical change.

The king nodded in meditation and left, leaving Link feeling rather awkward. What was it that Sahasrahla wanted again?

"Link, please sign your name here."

Link did not move a muscle. He did know how to write (though his vocabulary was small), but he had no surname.

"I know that you have no last name so simply put down Sir Link." Sahasrahla gave him a wink.

Link quickly took the feather pen and put down his beautiful, though shaky, signature.

"Now then. How have you been enjoying your stay here in Castilla? Do you like being a knight? Be frank and honest."

If Link lied, Sahasrahla would know because he was using magic to read Link's mind.

"I feel honored to be a knight in Castilla, and I really enjoy the atmosphere here."

"Yes?" Sahasrahla wanted to probe further. He was fishing for any discrepancies or possible weaknesses. Castilla wanted to be able to fully trust Link as though he were one of their own people.

"Although my job here is relatively easy, it is still a huge responsibility and can be boring...and I do feel a little left out at times." Link probably got a little red when he admitted that.

"I see. Would you rather do something else?"

Castilla did not want to lose Link to Hryule.

"Oh, no, Sir! When I rejected Hyrule's offer of knighthood, I decided that I am going to stay with Castilla for as long as I can." Link's voice broke when he realized that he had revealed his communcication with Hyrule.

Sahasrahla made no visible reaction. "Good. I like your openness. Now we must go over some trivialities, statistics, and your experiences for our record and research purposes."

Link slid a little in his seat. That was just what he needed: more boring technicalities.

000

Nearly an hour later, Link left the office with his pay of five hundred rupees in a sack; he had certainly earned quite a lot for one month of standing around in the castle. Link had the rest of the day off, so he decided to go into town and buy the hookshot from Tarin's store, even though it would cost him every last shiny stone he had.

He made his way over to the section of Castilla called Rougenforte and quickly sighted the familiar general store. It was easy to find because Tarin's son Groose was sitting outside on the curb with his iconic hair. Link ran over the cobblestone street, making a pleasant sound with his army regulation shoes.

He greeted the redhead. "Hi."

Groose looked up from the ground. "What do you want squirt?" He was clearly sulking.

Link was unaffected. "I was going to make a purchase here."

"Yeah? Well is that so? The old man ain't here right now. I'm mindin' the store for him, see?"

Link looked inside: the only person in there was Marin. Poor girl: she was always working so hard for her age.

"Will you secure my item for me then?"

Groose got up and dusted himself off. "Yeah sure, what was it you wanted anyhow?"

They both walked in and Marin gave them a purely sweet smile. The front entrance door had a bell attached to it that gave a classic ring whenever someone entered.

Link answered, "The hookshot; it should be reserved in my name."

Groose unnecessarily touched his bright red hair. "That old thing? What's your name?"

"Link."

Marin brought it out in a flash. "Here it is! All ready for you, young Knight!"

Something about Marin reminded Link of the girl Zelda that he had met in the Kokiri Forest so long ago.

Groose's mouth fell open. "Knight?!"

Marin had recognized Link's uniform.

Link answered simply, "I am a guardian of the royal family."

"Wow! That's awesome man!" He gave Link a hearty pat on the back. "Pleasure to have ya!" Groose grabbed the bagged hookshot from Marin and brought it over to the counter. He grabbed a pen and recorded the sale. "Antique hookshot: 150 rupees; buyer: Link."

Link did a double take and eagerly stepped forward. "One hundred fifty?"

Groose pointed without looking up. "Yeah, sure, the label says so right there; these things are rare." Groose thought that he wanted a cheaper price, but Link was sure that it would cost him more than that.

Link frowned. "But I thought that Tarin said—"

Marin interrupted, "Oh, my father was mistaken that day. You didn't really think it was worth as much as he said did you?"

Link shrugged. Crafty little Marin had changed the price tag herself. They needed the sale.

Link dug into his rupee sack and pulled out a silver rupee. "I would kind of like to get this off my hands; do you have any change?"

Groose went into a coin box. "Will do."

Link took the more common gem stones. "Thanks."

Marin objected. "Oh, no, thank you for shopping here!"

Groose called out to Link as he was leaving. "Come again!"

Link nodded and left the store with a smile on his face.

Groose kept starring out the window. "Great guy, that Link."

Marin turned around. "Hmph! You didn't seem to think much of him until you found out about his position in society!"

Groose scratched his back and yelled back at her as she walked away, "Well, how was I to know he was a knight?!"

000

Back on the street, Link realized that he had not counted out the money Groose had given him, but he was relieved when he saw that all 350 rupees' worth were there. Since Epona was only going to cost 200 rupees, he would have 150 rupees left to spend on something else!

As Link crossed the bridge to leave Rougenforte and return to the castle, he remembered that the last time he was there, the dark being, the perfect resemblance of himself, had attacked and then mysteriously left. Link had a bad feeling about that place now. Just as he was about to start running in fear, a huge owl flew right in front of his face.

The owl hovered in front of Link. "Stop, young lad! I must speak with you!"

"Who are you?!" Link was surprised and concerned, but not necessarily afraid of the talking animal. He clutched his sword, ready to strike.

"I am Kaepora Gaebora. The goddesses sent me to be your second guide, even as the Great Deku Tree was your first."

Link was unmoved and stood his ground

"I know that you have just acquired the hookshot; with this tool, you may now conquer the Tomb of Trials."

The scary owl had long feathers on its forehead that looked like frowning eyebrows.

Link said with a strangely jocular tone, "And you expect me to trust you?"

The owl proudly responded, "Oh, most definitely."

No way was Link going through with it; that owl knew too much.

"Stuff and nonsense, haven't you any way to verify yourself first?"

"Ha, ha, ha!" The owl laughed like an old man. "You're a stubborn one aren't you."

Link put his hands on his hips and did not respond.

The owl thought of something. "Well then, close your eyes, let your mind go blank, and you will see a vision; this will assure you of my validity."

"Bah!" Link almost growled. "This is a trick!"

The owl's laughter rang out and Link had to wait for him to settle down.

"My, my! It seems the goddesses choose a very cautious boy for their designs this time. I am surprised by your quick tongue; I expected you to be a quiet person."

Link did not like to be spoken of as a tool of the goddesses. "I usually am quiet. Now leave me alone."

Kaepora Gaebora would not let Link shirk his duties as the Hero. He stated simply, "Either you do as I say, or I will scare the daylights out of you."

"Oh, so now you are threatening me?"

Link was starting to have fun arguing with the owl. Kaepora Gaebora was becomming annoyed though, and lifted up his wings and hissed.

"Whoa..." Link backed up.

Kaepoa Gaebora decided to use the scare tactic. "DO AS I SAY OR YOU WILL BE MY SUPPER!" The owl seemed a lot bigger than it first appeared.

"Fine." Link had an arrogant smirk on his face. Neither he nor the owl were really being serious.

"Huh?" Kaepora Gaebora starred him down; Link gave in too easily.

Link crossed his arms. "Well, what do you want? I need to return to the castle."

The owl suddenly seemed less ugly and more cute and benevolent. "As long as you are being agreeable, follow me."

Link considered running away, but he decided to stay with the owl and find out what he was up to. Kaepora Gaebora led him to a small forest, taking his time to examine the moss patches. Finally, the owl stopped and licked a portion of the ground. That did not sit well with Link's stomach.

"Eww..."

The owl declared, "This is it: the Tomb of Trials."

Link slanted his mouth. "It's only a patch of dirt, right?"

The owl arose on his wings. "No, this is a sacred portion of land." Kaepora Gaebora was catching Link's interest.

"What makes it so special?"

The owl hovered over the spot. "Pry off the dirt and grass and find out."

Link took out a small shovel and immediately plunged into the spot and hit rock. "Huh?"

That convinced the owl.

"This is most-assuredly the place."

Link was intrigued now. He quickly removed everything on the slab of stone and revealed an entrance to a strange place, complete with ancient writing engraved on its surface.

His mouth was hanging open. "Wow."

The owl commanded, "Open it."

Link did as he was told, and was immediately greeted by spiders and insects crawling out and a sign that read, "All hope abandon, ye who enter here."

"Be not dismayed," the owl said, "that is propaganda from the many monsters that plague this sacred place."

Link starred down the dark hole. There was an old wooden ladder going down it with vines curling about it.

"Enter, Link; it is your fate." The owl looked the boy over and paused. "I wish you luck."

With nothing more to say, the owl flew up and away and disappeared in the trees.

"He even knew my name," Link thought to himself. Once again, he trusted his instincts and did as he was told. Sword in one hand, he descended into the bleak tunnel and hoped he was not entering into a bottomless pit.

000

Author's Note:  
Reviewers and readers, thank you for your kind words and inspiration. This story would be little more than an exercise without your tacit support. Even if it is criticism, your feedback is always beneficial. Thanks for being a part of this project! 


	12. Level 1: Nice Dungeon?

Chapter 12: Level 1: Nice Dungeon?

Link climbed down the nearly-disintegrating ladder that led into the Tomb of Trials (or so it was called by Kaepora Gabora). Gagging on the intense odor of the earthy maze, he carefully descended into the black abyss. When he reached the bottom, he quickly lighted his lantern because the tunnel was totally dark.

Looking around, Link saw nothing but...tombs. At least the owl was telling the truth, or at least some truth anyway. Link noticed that his clothing was covered in cobwebs from rubbing against the rungs of the ladder and brushed off the sticky material. He observed the speck of light he had come down from and estimated that he must be at least thirty feet under the surface.

Link walked up to one of the huge, carved stones, and read the epitaph on it: "Herein lies our great leader..." Link could not make out the name, "...of the Sheikah tribe."

The Sheikah? Link remembered them from the legends. Before he could read another epitaph, the silhouette of someone else made Link pull his sword from its sheath and point it at the intruding shadow.

"Who goes there?"

The grey person entered into the light of Link's lantern, his red cloak and diamond earrings shinning brilliantly. He bowed.

"I am Ghirahim, an ancient brought to your sad world by the work of a sorceress. In truth, I prefer to be indulged with my full title, Lord Ghirahim, but I am not fussy. Now put down your sword, boy."

"No."

"Come now, are you being serious? I am in no mood to deal with any impudence on your part. I have already been taken away from my duties in the past against my will and been forced to reside in Castilla. I am not enjoying my stay here one bit. Even the accursed Hyrule stands greater than this crumb of a kingdom. I have been trying to ease my temper that I may concentrate on finding a way to get back to the past, but you are only making my anger come to a boil."

Link did not understand what Ghirahim was saying about the past. "What are you doing here?"

Ghirahim chuckled lightly. "Funny...I was about to ask you the same thing."

Link said nothing.

Ghirahim mocked the sacred tombs. "I am amusing myself; perhaps I will find something of use in these mortal weaklings' coffins."

Link objected, "Don't you dare open them."

"Oh, why shouldn't I? I know not how times have changed, but do not young ones like you often go about graveyards, stealing rupees?"

"That's blatantly wrong."

"I am a demon lord. I define my own right and wrong."

That make Link quite angry. "Leave now, or I will make you!"

"Ho ho ho! Does the child want to play with his sword?"

Ghirahim thought to himself, "I think it is time I had some fun, heh!"

Ghirahim looked Link over. "You remind me much of one whom I hate with a passion. That child—that foolish sky child! This course of events has left me with a thirst for blood. You and your predecessors have made me more than annoyed. I am furious, outraged, sick with anger!"

Ghirahim lifted his hands in the air and magically made his red piece of clothing evaporate into diamonds and disappear. He snapped his fingers, and lo, two long swords appeared in his hands. He crossed them and spit his tongue out and twirled it about in a rather gross manner.

"Come at me."

Link had had enough and charged for Ghirahim and hit sword on sword. The crack reverberated through the bodies of the two fighters who were crazy enough to duel in such a narrow tunnel. After they recovered from the blow, Ghirahim took the offensive and took poking shots at Link's torso, but Link pulled his shield from off his back and expertly blocked the attacks.

The two had been battling for nearly eight minutes when Ghirahim finally got a lucky hit that grazed Link's left wrist on his sword arm. Ghirahim stopped for a second, almost shocked that he had drawn blood. Link looked down on his wound and was relieved to see that no arteries were injured, but he wanted revenge. Link gave Ghirahim an awakening blow to the chest, and was surprised that his body seemed to take no damage.

Ghirahim almost fell backward, but he righted himself and lowered his swords.

"We can end this now if you will be willing to apologize."

Link took out his hookshot and tried to aim thorough a narrow gap to get behind Ghirahim.

"Nothing doing."

The hookshot let loose with a click and lodged into the earthy walls, sending Link flying through the air. He stopped himself with his feet and smoothly turned around and struck the surprised Demon Lord on the side of his skull. Ghirahim finally fell to the ground and Link stood victorious, but before he could congratulate himself, the seemingly-invincible demon got back up on his feet and took a tantrum.

"Stupid child! I give you a chance to save your own skin and you stab me in the back! Fine way to ruin an interesting duel!" Ghirahim paused and seemed to have something click in his brain. "Then again, I haven't the time to play silly games with you, and I have no need to kill you when I can simply return to the past and destroy your entire race!"

"How are you going to get out, smarty?" The entrance was behind Link, making Ghirahim trapped.

Ghirahim scoffed, looked up, and said mostly to himself, "How is that these Hylians are always so simple-minded?" He tilted his head and explained, "I will leave the same way I arrived here: teleportation." Ghirahim took one last look at the sacred burial place. "It seems this is where we part ways, but I must warn you: if we ever meet again, you had better be on your best behavior; bother me one more time, and I might kill you even if only for the sport of it." Ghirahim twirled his blades and disappeared behind the swords' peculiar, trailing shadows with a burst of diamonds.

A high-pitched, raspy voice remorsed, "A pity it ended like that."

Link jumped and turned around to see what it was. What met his eyes was very surprising. A monstrosity, having an appearance like no animal, was lying on the ground with one hand supporting itself.

"What are you?"

The monster shrieked like a maniac. "AH?! I AM UBER FREAK!"

Link covered his ears. "And what are you doing here?"

"Testing the potentials of the NEW and IMPROVED mirror of—" The black creature covered its mouth, "there I go again, shooting off my mouth like a dumb Hylian." The rasping voice of the monster was so awful that it made Link's throat itch. "It seems you are quite busy. I don't want to get in the way of the careful planning of the ones watching over us, for my presence here is more than supernatural; IT IS FORBIDDEN!" As the incredibly annoying monster screamed, its body disappeared in tiny square dots.

A second later, a chicken went running by being chased by a Gibdo, neither of them taking any notice of Link.

Link shook his head. "Is everybody down here freakish or cuckoo?"

A Skulltula came running upside down on the ceiling and forced Link to bend his head to avoid it.

"I got to get out of here," Link thought to himself.

When he reached for his lantern on one of the caskets, he noticed a note stuck in a cranny of the narrow tunnel. When he tried to reach for the piece of paper, a Gel came out of nowhere and tried to attack his leg. Link sliced it with his sword and then randomly took a moment to look at the engraving of his initial on the sword's hilt. He was forced to get back to his work when another Gibdo went running past, startling him. He then attempted to reach for the paper again, but a bat gave him a blow on the head sending him to the ground. Not interested in Link, the bat flew away in the same direction the other monsters had gone.

Link cursed and pulled out his knife and clutched it menacingly. "Just let me see one more monster..."

He tried just one last time to get the fragment of paper, but he could not reach it; therefore, he decided to pierce it with his sword. It was better to have it in pieces than not have it at all. He retrieved it roughly and accidentally ripped it in half. He opened up the folds and put the two pieces his sword had created together and read: "When the dead become monsters, the return of the Evil One is nigh."

That certainly was a strange prophecy. Link shrugged and put the note in a pocket and decided to go deeper in the tunnel. He followed the Gibdos and fought his way against Keese, Skulltulas, and Gels until he came to a dead end. He was puzzled until he looked up and saw another floor to the strange place. The only problem was that it stood five feet above Link and was behind him directly above the first floor. How was he going to get up there?

The hookshot! Link fired the climbing device and entered into the second level with ease. More tombs, dirt, and spiders—there was nothing new. Link continued going up and down, left and right, twisting and turning and destroying the useless monsters, until he had collected many pieces of paper with indiscernible aphorisms and become quite lost. He was not sure where to head, so he looked at an epitaph on one of the tombs: "Herein lies our great—"

Oh, no! He was back at the beginning! Link was right where he had started. He leaned his head backward in distrsss and covered his face with his palm.

"For Nayru's Love, why have I let myself be fooled by a mere owl?!"

He took a deep breath and looked around indifferently.

"Hmm?"

The crevice he had found the first note in earlier, now seemed to have another note in it. Link retrieved it with his sword the same way as he got the others. He slowly read the ancient text:

"One can and often should do something twice, especially when dealing with time."

That was vague, but perhaps Link had to go through the maze again to get to the end; maybe he was not in the same area he had started from, but rather a duplicate. After all, Link would have seen the entrance again if he indeed were back at the beginning. But what did the part in the message about time mean? Link had no time to figure it out, so he pressed onward, using his hookshot to traverse the symmetrical second portion of the tunnel.

The enemy's resistance was futile; Link had fought far larger and more powerful monsters in Kokiri. The Gels were especially easy to turn into jelly, while the Gibdos' screams were useless against Link's gift of courage.

Link fought his way through the rest of the tunnel and continued collecting weird notes that were semi-helpful. The resemblance of the second part of the underground network to the first part was remarkable. Finally, he came to a wooden door that had no handle. Link was stumped until he found some bombs and another note nearby that read:

"Mindlessly blasting forward is sometimes necessary."

Link lit a bomb and tossed it at the wooden barrier and covered his ears. When the smoke settled, a huge room was revealed that stood in stark contrast to the claustrophobic tunnels Link had conquered. He stepped in, sword in his left hand; luckily, the injury Ghirahim had given him stopped bleeding and did not bother him anymore.

Link was greeted by something that would make most people run for their lives: Gohma. The monster was an enormous one-eyed beast that looked something like a crustacean and a spider. It boasted impenetrable armour, huge pincers, and a laser-shooting eye. Link was inclined to make a quick exit, but he notticed a key hanging above the crab and an iron door behind it with the corresponding keyhole. It certainly looked as though there were only one way out of there: destroy Gohma and seize the key.

Upon Link's entrance, the giant monster rose on its many feet and confronted him with a warning crack of its claws. It immediately fired a beam at Link, forcing him to jump to the side. Next, the beast ran after him and attempted to scoop him off the ground, but Link managed to repel it with some blows of his sword.

Gohma returned to the laser attacks, forcing Link to hurry out of the way. Link was quickly becomming fatigued, but he had the bright idea to use his shield to protect himself from the beams. Link approximated where the attacks would hit and held his sword out to absorb them. Link continued fighting that way whilst trying to hurt Gohma with his sword, but the monster's armour made Link's attacks do little more than anger the horrendous beast. It continued sending beams after Link, making his shield become extremely hot.

After one particularly-strong attack, Link was forced to drop his shield to avoid getting a serious burn. He looked down on it, and saw that its metal was melting. Now what was Link going to do? He still had not figured out how to effectively attack the monster, and now he had no protection either.

Perhaps the hookshot might be of some use? Link pulled out the amazing contraption and quickly shot himself behind Gohma, but there was no weak spot back there to hit either; every portion of the monster's body was well-defended except—its eye! Link was sure he could kill the beast if he managed to get a direct hit on its eye. He pulled out his bow, holding his hookshot and an arrow in his other hand, and waited for an opportunity to attack. Because the hookshot made it very easy to dodge Gohma's attacks, Link was able to concentrate on his archery.

The next time Gohma attempted a laser attack, Link let loose a precise arrow and pierced the eye, sending green blood spewing out everywhere. The terrible beast reared up on its hind legs and let out a deep cry of agony before freezing and turning into black powder and becomming part of the dirt of the earthy maze. Link put his things away and sat down to take a moment to catch his breath. That was the worst monster Link had ever dealt with, and yet he had not been hurt by it a single time.

Link looked up at the key hanging from the ceiling and decided that he could easily get it with the help of the hookshot. He launched himself up, snatched the brass key, and fired the hookshot back down again. Because of the steep incline of the maneuver, he landed on his feet at first but then fell forward.

Link got up and dusted himself off; it was a rough landing, but at least he did not break his nose. He hesitantly went over to the locked door and inserted the shiny key. The door opened deliberately slowly, and the key refused to come back out. "Oh, well," he thought, "might as well find out how to get out of there.

Link continued down another narrow tunnel and came to a incline bringing him up towards the surface. When he reached the top, he found two tombs, one on his left and right, and a chest in the center. All three had a note on top of them. Beyond the chest was a stone whose outline shone with the brightness of day. It was the end of the wretched Tomb of Trials! Link advanced to the chest, eager to see what was inside.

"Not so fast."

The suave voice came from behind him. There stood the one thing that always sent chills up Link's spine: the exact copy of himself with the evil red eyes. The dark shadow of Link comfortably leaned against the side of the chamber with his arms crossed and a mischievious grin.

"That treasure is mine."

Link drew his sword. "I know not who or what you are, but I am sure that you are my enemy."

"Do you remember our last encounter?"

Link nodded with a frown.

"I so enjoyed having my blade within inches of your flesh. We should spar again."

Link was worried, not about dueling with him, but about the shadow's resemblance to himself. "Who are you? Why are you—why do you look like me?!"

"I am everything you are and then some. Whereas you contain your emotions, I delve in them and do as I please—even if what I want is wrong. I am the bad version of you: I am Dark Link."

Link starred at the dark being's red eyes. They appeared to be burning. "But...how did you come to exist?"

"I was created by a greater being for his own selfish desires, namely to have you killed; but it is not your life that I desire. No, it is you and everything that is yours that I want—and will get! Now let us challenge one another with sword, and then I will take the treasure and be off."

"You won't get it."

"Oh, yes I will!"

Link charged with both hands on his sword. "No you won't!"

The two met each other with their swords and started slashing at one another, their reflexes too sharp for the eye to follow. Link no longer had his shield, but he really did not need it, and Dark Link did not have one either. That was strange. Link could have sworn that his enemy had a shield exactly like his in their first duel, but now Dark Link had no shield. In its place there was a—a hookshot? How was it that that dark thing was always able to possess duplicates of the same exact weapons Link had?

The fighters were an equal match and had little hope of deafeating each other unless one of them could manage to rid the enemy of his sword. Link thought of using his hookshot to get behind Dark Link, but his opponent barely left him enough time to react. Unlike their first battle, this one dragged on forever until both of them were exhausted. They grudgingly kept up with each other, sweat making Link's shirt armpits dark with moisture. Dark Link meanwhile shouted threats in between their clashes:

"This is only the beginning of my triumph over you. I will take everything that is yours and make your life hell. I will take your weapons and use them against you; I will take your horse and ride her for myself; I will take your title and bring you down from your position in Castilla; I will make your friends loathe you; I will steal every rupee you find; I will steal every bit of magic you may ever try to master; I will take every woman you fall for as my own; I will make your work brutal; I will get you in trouble whenever I wish; I will not let you fulfill your destiny; and as for your name, I already have it. And don't go running for help, because if anyone ever finds out about me, they will think you are a demon. I will own you."

Dark Link sounded like an obsessed idiot.

Link punctuated his sentence with his blows, "I. will. not. suc. cumb. to. your. blackmail!"

It was time to let that demon have it. Link ran backward and lifted his sword up and released a spin attack. Everything was a blur, but he managed to bring Dark Link to the ground. Unfortunately, Link could not follow up his attack because he had no energy left.

The black shadow leaned on his wrists. "You win this time, but I always get revenge. I will not cease my attacks upon you until I get what I want."

With that, Dark Link faded away, seeming more and more unreal.

Link breathed heavily and tried to regain his strength. Was Dark Link real or just his imagination? Link's scratched sword clearly suggested the former. It was time for him to get out of the dungeon before another bad guy came out of nowhere. Link collected the three notes and read them impatiently:

"One can never be too causcious; consider every alternative before proceeding."  
"Time travel is dangerous but oftentimes necessary."  
"Everything has a weakness, and good will always triumph over evil."

Those certainly were three bizarre messages.

Just as Link was about to open the chest, he heard a creak behind him. To his horror, the two tombs opened and two Gibdos awkwardly tried to get out. Link remembered a note from earlier: "When the Sheikah become monsters, the return of the evil one is nigh."

His journey was becomming a nightmare.

Link let the two abominations have a taste of his sword and quickly closed the tombs shut, not eager to see what else was in there. He hurried over to the chest and opened it with a clank. A bright light shone from within as Link pulled out a gorgeous shield. There was a tag on it addressed to him: "Please accept this replica of the Hero of Time's shield and use it in your journies; it is made with magical material and is extremely durable."

Link put his arm through its handle. "Wow."

It was perfect.

But wait! That was not all that was inside the chest! What was that piece of paper? Link fetched it out and recognized the bars and dots as sheet music for an ocarina. It was called "The Song of Time." That was very interesting; the Sheikah had left behind some valuable gifts for Link.

Link packed all his gear away and put his personalized sword back in its sheath. He advanced to the stone doorway and put all his might into shoving it open. He arrived outside in a forest in a remote portion of Castilla. It felt good to see the sun again, the grass and sky, and the birds and trees. Link saw a large brown bird heading towards him and recognized it as the owl, Kaepora Gaebora.

"Link! Close the entrance!"

Link unwillingly did as he was told. He had not realized how big the stone door really was. How had he been able to push it out of the way so easily the first time? After Link finally completed the arduous task, the owl finished the job by putting some grass, moss, and leaves on top as camouflage.

"Link, this place must be kept secret; the people are not to know about it."

"Why?"

"The Sheikah have always been respected. But...you know what happened to them, right?"

Link was unappropriately vague. "They became monsters?"

His adventure was getting very dark.

The owl confirmed, "Unfortunately, yes. The Evil One is already at work and making trouble."

Link asked timidly, "Who is this 'Evil One'?"

"Ah," the owl put his wing on his chin, "you will know when the time comes. For now it seems there is one named Maleficent that must be dealt with first."

Link stammered, "Mal—Ma—what?"

"Nevermind. We have things to discuss. As I was saying, this place must be kept a secret. You must swear to not tell anybody about what's happened down there today."

Link recalled his distrust of the owl. "How do you know what was going on?"

"The goddessess chose me for a reason. Beiny that you have successfully make it out of there, I guess you are here for a good reason as well. Now you must promise me to keep this tomb hidden."

Link crossed his arms. "Fine. I will keep my memories of this terrible place to myself."

"Good. Now you must go back to the castle. You have proven your identity today. We need not talk again for a long while; it seems you are to have a long break from your duties. Farewell, young Link; I will see you again in...several years."

The owl took off with a flap of its wings, creating a wind on Link's face. The deeper he got into his role as the Hero, the more things got complicated and the more difficulty he had understanding what was going on. The Tomb of Trials was complete chaos, nothing like the dungeons he had heard of.

Link began making his way back to the castle, but then he remembered the other treasure he had been rewarded with: the Song of Time. He sat down and took off his sack and rummaged around for the ocarina that Saria had given him. He had not been practicing much lately, and he only took it with him out of habit. He alligned his fingers on the holes and slowly played the music. After he could get it all out without making a mistake, he played the entire song from start to finish.

...and everything went black as Link saw visions of what seemed like years passing before his eyes in seconds.

000 


	13. The Cost of Time Travel

Chapter 13: The Cost of Time Travel

When Link opened his eyes, he was in for a total total shock. The magical ocarina still in his hand, Link was standing in the very spot he had been after exiting the Tomb of Trials—only now it was six years later!

"Oh, Din!" Link was scared of the sound of his own deep voice.

His whole body felt so different and weird and certainly did not look the same; he was a young man! He was much taller, more muscular, and hairier. His breathing felt incredibly heavy, and his heartbeat felt intolerably noticeable. He looked at the place where Ghirahim had sliced his arm, but the only remnance of the wound was a faint, raised scar. He looked down at his rough hands.

"Why?"

Why had he been so rash and played that mystical song without first thinking of its implications? Link had experienced six years of his life in a matter of seconds: what a waste of time. He hardly remembered anything that had happened to him in between. Now what was he to do? If he played the song again to try to go back in time, he might end up going forward and losing more of his life. Time travel was certainly a dangerous magic to tamper with.

For a moment, Link panicked and wanted to scream. The life changes were far too great to accept. Did his terrible mistake ruin his chances of defeating the Great Evil? What if catastrophe had befallen Hyrule while Link time-warped everything? He could vaguely recall some of the past, but he was certain that there were important things that he was totally unaware of.

Link checked his belongings and found all of his old stuff as well as some newer additions he did not recognize. He found some food in one of his bags and decided to have a quick snack to try to calm himself. He was quite surprised at how much he had to eat to satisfy himself. Link's drastic physical changes made him feel extremely awkward. He was a child in a man's body with an immortal spirit and a soul like anyone else's.

000

Link decided that he should head back towards the castle. Having such a blurry memory of the past six years, he needed to get a review on what was going on. Goddesses, where could his life have strayed to?

At first he felt a bit lost in the remote woodland, but he trusted his instincts and soon found himself in Castilla's capital. The town was recognizable but better developed and a bit cleaner than he remembered. Link found those differences to be unnerving. As he approached the castle gate, the guards immediately opened up for him. At least they still knew who he was.

An officer, not one Link remembered, reprimanded him. "You're late."

Link opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Not only did he have no idea what he was late for, but he also felt incredibly shy and introverted.

The soldier explained, "Princess Hilda wants to speak with you."

Hilda was Hubert's second oldest child after Phillip. She was somewhat impulsive but had a strong love for her country and was known for putting Castilla above Hyrule.

"She is in her library waiting." The officer raised his eyebrows.

Library? Link had no idea where that was. He started heading to the first entrance into the castle interior, but the officer stopped him—oops, wrong direction!

"Where do you think you're going?"

Link struggled to explain himself. "Er..."

The officer starred at him like he was an old drunkard. Link was embarrassed; obviously, he did not know the new layout of the castle. He ran away from the accusing soldiers before they could question him more and went into the castle from another door. Getting accustomed to things was not going to be easy when he had practically lost six years of experience.

After cleverly finding out where Hilda's library was by listening to some loud gossiping maids, Link went to her door and knocked softly. There was no answer. Most of Link's early work as a guardian was spent with Phillip and sometimes Richard, but he knew what Hilda's personality was like: she was strong-willed, and tended to get stuck on one thing and not really notice what was going on around her. Link sighed and called himself a fool for his mundane manipulation of time. He knocked again, louder that time.

"Who is it?" She sounded annoyed.

Link hoped his title had not changed since six years ago. "Sir Link."

"Come in." She was curt.

Link opened the door and found the princess sitting in front of a mirror, a look of distress on her face. She was eighteen, still young, but nevertheless a woman. She had a slightly dark style to her attire: her lipstick was purple and matched her outfit. Her hair was jet black but in the sunlight, it too looked purple. She swiveled around in her seat and seemed disappointed.

"Where were you? We should have left for the festival half an hour ago!"

Castilla was having a traditional gathering, and Princess Hilda was invited to come there to announce it.

"I...was in the woods; I lost track of time. I'm...sorry." Link was acting as though he had done something terrible.

She sighed and accepted his repentent tone. "Well, better late than never. Father would not let me leave without you."

King Hubert disapproved of more than one soldier accompanying Hilda, but he also wanted her to be kept safe. Link was the only one judged worthy enough to go all alone with her and still qualify as satisfactory security.

"Let's go."

Link followed her out to a stable that was definitely not the same one he used to go to. Fortunately, a worker came out with their two horses. Hilda's was a shiny, black mare and Link's was—Epona! Link was glad that he no longer had to worry about claiming that mare for his own; apparently, he had gotten her in the time he skipped. In some ways, it was nice to have things already done and ready. Maybe his time travel was not going to be so bad after all?

At least seven years old now, Epona was a mature adult and boasted a muscular frame and a perfect coat of brown and white. She no longer seemed to be unreceptive and moody. Link stroked her nose and could feel an intense bond that must of been created from years of being with the horse. He believed that he could safely entrust the ride with his life.

Princess Hilda mounted side-saddle because of her billowy skirts and looked down on him and seemed disgusted that he was not hurrying.

"Are you ready?"

Link quickly mounted and nodded. As the two of them came to the castle gate, the guards bowed and opened up. After an uneventful and awkwardly quiet, though quick journey through town, the sounds, sights, and smells of the festival welcomed Link and Princess Hilda into a glimpse of Castillian culture. Decorations were everywhere and children were playing games while cooks were preparing food, but the start of the festival had not yet been announced due to Hilda's detainment.

Link and Hilda stopped their horses as several people came over to greet the princess.

A gypsy-like man with a foreign accent and curly mustache took Hilda's horse. "Welcome, Your Highness, to Castilla's annual Firefly Festival! The people await your presence for the official commencement."

Firefly Festival? Link had no idea what that was all about, but since it was mid-August, the title seemed fitting. Link went with Hilda to a platform where she was accompanied by several others. After the gypsy-man introduced her, the people applauded, and she gave a short speech about the history and cause for their gathering. Her words were a bit forced and cold. She seemed to hint that although Castilla was going to be absorbed into Hyrule, the people should strive to maintain their separate culture. She finished by cutting a rope barrier, allowing the people to enter the festival grounds.

Lavish celebration ensued while Link stayed in the background and tried to anticipate any threats that might arise. The regional music did not appeal to him, and he considered the activities rather silly. However, he did see many familiar faces there: Telma the bar owner, several military officers such as Valdar, Talon and Cremia and their two daughters, and...Groose?

Tarin, Groose, and Marin came over to Link and gave him warm smiles and handshakes.

Tarin shook his hand heartily. "Don't forget: tomorrow's yer day off, and we're all going campin' in Kokiri. Got to git myself some more of those dandy mushrooms they got down there!" Tarin winked.

Link vaguely remembered going back to Kokiri several times in the past years; Tarin must have come with him. Link had a hunch that he was a lot closer to Tarin's family than he remembered. He saw Marin's big eyes starring at him and he worried, "Farore, I hope she doesn't think I like her or anything like that." Though Link had been acting like an adult on the exterior since he was ten years old, he was a little hesitant to falling in love with anyone. An outward appearance of age did not necessarily indicate that he had an inward maturity.

Groose, the burly red-head, patted Link on the back. "See ya tomorrow, Linky!"

Marin said nothing, but her body language spoke volumes. Tarin took the five steps separating Link from the seated princess and gave his honors to Hilda before he and his children left.

Link was a little upset by the sudden news. He thought to himself, "So I'm going off-duty tomorrow with Tarin the shopkeeper, his cocky son, and a girl that has a crush on me. Great." Even a boring day at the castle was more appealing. Link really needed to stay around the castle to catch up on everything that was going on. He certainly could not afford to have anyone think he was becomming stupid and forgetful when he had really just goofed up big time.

000

After a squad of soldiers showed up at the edge of the festival, Hilda called Link over.

"I will be returning to the castle now. If you wish, you may stay here and have some recreation; the festival will continue late into the night, and we will not need you at the castle."

Link took one look at the festivities and immediately made up his mind. "I want to return anyway."

"Very well. Come with me."

Hilda made her way through the thin parts of the crowds to the post that her horse and Epona were tied to. Once she and Link reached the entrance, she dismissed the guards that had been sent as escorts since Link was going with her now.

Slowly riding side by side, Hilda and Link looked somewhat unhappy. They both had large responsibilities that were making them anxious. Link's current issue was time travel; hers was the unstoppable annexation of Castilla by Hyrule.

Hilda spoke up and addressed Link in a less formal manner than usual. "Link, you are a Hylian from Kokiri, correct?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Link held Epona tightly. He did not like being the center of attention.

"Tell me, what makes Hylians different from Castillians aside from the physical?" Hilda was truly worried about the future of Castilla as a province of Hyrule.

"Well..." Link was going to have a really hard time explaining that simply, "for one thing, many Castillians don't believe in the three goddesses, but nearly every Hylian does. Hylians also worship Hylia as their protector and symbol among the immortals."

Hilda was not interested in that, but she pressed him to continue. Link gave himself generous time to think of something else. He finally came up with something.

"This may sound a little offensive..."

"Go on." The way how she said it, it was an order.

He suffered her. "Many people accuse Hylians of being snobbish and extreme, while Castillians are usually considered to be more laid back and less proper."

Link was telling Hilda things that she already knew, but the way he said things seemed so down-to-earth and plain, that Hilda still wanted to hear what other opinions he had.

She replied, "True, but not always applicable."

Link nodded. "Nonetheless, I have found Castilla to be a much more relaxed society that doesn't expect as much pomp. I like it that way."

Hilda appreciated Link's frankness. It was strange that sometimes a random knight like Link was more helpful than trained advisers. If Hilda were able, she would have talked to him all night.

Their conversation was cut short when the two arrived at the castle. Hilda hated hearing the clang of the same old gate behind her all the time; it made her feel isolated and overly protected. The only reason she tolerated Link's escortage was that she enjoyed his company...well, sometimes anyway.

As they parted ways at the stable, Hilda cautioned Link, "Do not get carried away tomorrow in Kokiri; we cannot afford to have you get killed by injesting anything poisonous." She was referring to mushrooms.

Link acknowledged that he would be careful as he brushed Epona's lovely mane.

She bade him farewell formally. "Goodnight, Sir Link."

"Goodnight, Princess Hilda."

While the purple image of the young lady faded in the dim lighting of the courtyard, Link noted her similarities to King Hubert. With Phillip as the future prince consort of Hyrule and Hilda as the future queen of Castilla, Link indeed had a great deal of pressure on him. Not only did he need to protect that influential royal family, but he also had some sort of "great evil" he had to eventually defeat.

Link left Epona in the care of the stable hand and went to his bedroom for a good night's rest. Having observed the past six years in the blink of an eye, he had much to think about and probably would not be falling asleep for a while. After rubbing his eyes sleepily, he wondered over to his bedroom. He jiggled the handle but found the door to be locked.

Another voice startled him, "Link, what are you doing here?"

It was Richard, the younger prince. He had grown into what Link remembered Phillip being.

"Your old room is in no condition for you to go venturing into; I say, only last month someone fell through the floor again!"

Richard was still as pompous as ever. Apparently, Link's old room had disintegrated, but where was his new room? He was quite lucky that Richard had stopped him from entering.

"I was making my way back to my room." Link told a white lie. "Is there anything you need before I retire, Prince?"

Link never seemed to be himself around Richard. Perhaps that was for the best, for the genuine Link could hardly say more than a phrase.

"No, no, I was only saying goodnight to the princess. Tomorrow is your day off, correct?"

"Yes, it appears I am going to Kokiri." Link himself had learned about that quite recently.

"Ah, I might have known as much. Do enjoy yourself. I am sure that that magical forest is of much greater interest than this drab castle."

Richard seemed to be a more caring person than Link remembered him. It was almost saddening that everyone had grown up so fast. Link still was a bit childish, but he was reasonably dependable when it came to important things. His magnificent swordsmanship and courage were gifts he had both earned and been granted.

Link took the initiative to end the questions. "Yes, I should be going to bed too. Goodnight, Prince Richard."

"Goodnight," the other boy genuinely replied.

Once Richard was far away, Link got back to his current problem: where was his new room? Enough lying, Link decided he would have to be honest and tell one of the guards or servants that he was lost in the enormous castle. Surely they would understand. All he had to do was ask the first person he found. He almost flew down a flight of stairs and found an old woman. She might be the perfect victim.

"Excuse me,"

"Yes, Knight?" She seemed to be carrying window curtains with a pole or something

"I have become so mixed up that I can't seem to find my room." Link was a terrible actor.

She looked him up and down. "I beg your pardon for asking, but you haven't touched any liquor have ya?"

"Most definitely not! I am simply...exhausted." Link was forced to lie again.

She eyed him suspiciously and smelled his breath because she did not believe him. "All right then, follow me. I s'pose even this old castle might be a trifle confusing for a young feller like you."

He did not reply.

Link's new room was far away, making their trek up and down the stairs of the large castle a workout. When they finally arrived, the woman opened the door and waited for Link to step in before she left. She still believed that there was something wrong with him in order to forget his own room's location. In truth, there was something wrong: he was a victim of time travel.

Link took off his awesome hat. "Thanks a lot."

She ordered him, "Get to sleep now and don't go wondering around the castle."

Despite Link being a royal knight and the old woman little more than a maid, Link respected her wishes because of her age. He closed the door but did not bother to undress. He opened his window and let the splendid half-moon's light enter his room as he set his weapons in a chest. Sprawling out on top of his bed, he reminisced his days back in Kokiri when his only responsibility was to help Saria keep house.

He sighed forcibly. Now he was a mature knight with more worries than he could handle. His unintentional use of time travel upset him greatly. Life was too short as it was, yet he had practically eliminated six years that were never to be regained. That stupid mishap was the first of many serious regrets Link would have in his lifetime.

000

With his window still open, Link woke up to a beam of sunlight in his eyes. He was still lying on top of his bed with his uniform on. Rather unwilling to get up at five o'clock, he rolled over and put a pillow on his face. As he was about to dose off again, a servant knocked on the door, but Link could not hear his muffled voice.

The person called out, "Sir Link, are you awake?"

Link was still half-asleep. "Go away."

The person knocked louder. "Sir Link, Mr. Tarin requests that you join him immediately!"

Link clumsily rolled out of bed and went to open the door with a groggy expression. "...you were saying?"

The servant was getting annoyed. "Mr. Tarin is leaving for Kokiri and wants you to join him."

"Wait...he's going right this minute?!" Link still had a lot to do before he could leave.

"He said that he will be waiting for you outside the castle."

"I—I got to get dressed!"

Link stumbled over the carpet and headed for the first dresser he found, but there was nothing in it. He spotted another and snatched a pair of green pants and a green shirt out of it.

The servant politely called him. "Um...Sir Link..."

"What is it? I don't have much time!" Link was washing his face.

"You already are dressed in day clothes."

Link looked at himself in a mirror. At least that was one fewer thing he had to do. He quickly packed a sack full of tools and attached his shield and sword and sheath to his belt. He double-checked everything and then darted past the servant, throwing a towel at him.

The man shook his head and looked up. "Oh, the knights these days."

000

Link came out to the castle gate and found Tarin and his children waiting for him.

Tarin called out, "Hey there, Link! Where's Epona?"

Link had forgotten that the Kokiri Forest was many miles away. A ride was entirely necessary. He set his belongings down and ran to the stable, finding Epona in the middle of her breakfast. With the help of the stablehand, he saddled her and attached a bag of oats to her mouth to allow her to continue eating while he traveled. Ah, she was such a beautiful horse!

When Link returned, Marin pointed out that Link was still unequipped. "Do you have your tent?"

Din damn it! How was Link ever going to make up for those six years he had lost?

"Maybe I could sleep in Saria's house; she said I was always welcome to come back there." Link was usually trying to find an easy way out of everything.

Groose was quick to dismiss that idea. "Ok, number one, that's kinda rude, and believe me brother, you won't fit in your old bed anymore. You know, Kokiri, tiny people, tiny beds? Are you getting forgetful or...?" Groose looked at his father for an answer, but Tarin only shrugged.

Link did not say anything for a few seconds; Groose was definitely right and he felt a little stupid.

Link conceded, "I'll go get the tent." He attached his sacks to Epona's saddle, and then he left to look for the tent, though he had absolutely no idea where it was.

Groose threw his hands up in the air. "What's up with him today? We're already late, and he doesn't have his act together yet!"

Tarin sat down on the ground. "Ah, he'll be back to himself once we get going. Believe me, he's an entirely different person in Kokiri. I think he feels at home there."

Marin did not agree. "Dad, there is something bothering Link. I know it."

Tarin shrugged again and lit his pipe and smoked thoughtfully; he was not good at understanding people.

After Link returned with a tent that he was lucky enough to find and "borrow," the four of them set off for the distant Kokiri Forest. Finally they had all the provisions they needed. Link desperately hoped things would go smoother from there on.

Throughout the journey, he kept his mouth shut and listened to everything Tarin, Groose, and Marin said. It was a good chance for him to learn about what he had missed out on during the past six years. Several times Tarin tried to start a conversation with him, but Link would always end it short with a blunt answer.

At the border, their small caravan was inspected by Hylians, but there were also many Gerudo volunteers in the area patrolling the outskirts of Kokiri. After getting the go-ahead from the sentries, the four of them cautiously entered the bare edge of the famous forest. Link had a bit of a difficult time finding paths wide enough for the horses and mules to fit through. The wild habitat was constantly getting thicker and thicker. Not too far into the forest, Link and his friends were compelled to stop and take a break, for their animals were totally wiped out from the six-hour trip.

The sun was high in the sky by then and provided ample lighting in the thick forrest. The ground there was somewhat wet from the heavy rains during the former night. The humid atmosphere made the perfect environment for mushrooms.

"Now ain't that a dandy!" Tarin's dirty hands were holding a bright red mushroom that was longer then it was wide.

"Put that down!" Link's sudden outburst surprised the others.

Tarin took a second look at the seemingly-harmless fungi. "What's the matter with it?"

"It's poisonous!" Link knew more about mushrooms than most botanists. Growing up in Kokiri, there was not much else to eat.

The forest seemed almost exactly as Link remembered it; in fact, he was quite sure that he knew approximately where he was in reference to Saria's old house. Castilla had changed greatly over the last six years, but the Kokiri Forest was a beautiful corner of nature that had remained the same for millennia.

Groose gave their rest spot a once-over. "Why don't we simply camp right here?"

Marin agreed, "That's a good idea." She was pulling on the bit of her mule's harness. "The animals refuse to go any further anyway."

Tarin buried the poisonous shroom. "You in, Link?"

Link was daydreaming about his childhood memories in that very same place. "Uh, yeah...this is fine."

"Great. I'll set up our gear." Groose relieved the animals of their loads and started a fire.

Marin got some baskets and tapped Tarin on the back. "Dad, let's go get some good mushrooms." She enphasized the word "good" and gave Link a quick glance.

Tarin smiled and left with his daughter to go pick his favorite food. Mushrooms were the only reason Tarin shared Link's love of the forest. Marin went along for the adventure and probably a chance to be around Link, while Groose genuinely liked roughing it in the wilderness.

Link fumbled with his arsenal while Groose pitched a tent.

"Hey, Link, is there any game around here you could go hunt? I'm sick of beans."

Link ran his finger along the flat part of his sword. "There are some wild grouse. I'll go for a walk and see if I can find any."

"Okie-dokey. Just be sure you get back in time for lunch." Groose put an empty pot on the fire and nearly emptied a canteen of water into it before he got an idea. "Say Link, there's some water around here right?" Groose probably remembered the old lake that Link had grown up around.

Link was about to leave for his little hike. "If we are where I think we are," Saria's house and the old lake Link used to go to were supposedly nearby, "there should be plenty of good drinking water nearby."

Groose put the pot on his head as a hat. "Great. Direct me to it and I'll have a boiling stew in a jiffy." Link looked all around and licked his finger and raised it so that he could determine the direction of the wind. He was still a little bit unsure though, and Groose was getting impatient.

"Come on, stop goofing. Where's the water?"

Link pointed at a narrow gap between two bushes. "It should be about fifty paces over there. You can always turn around if I am mistaken."

Groose was already getting started. "No problemo. I'm one of the best natural-born explorers in the world. If it isn't there, I'll just sniff it out."

Link rolled his eyes and went off on his own way. He wanted to see if he could find Saria's house and better yet, the Great Deku Tree. Link really needed to talk to someone else about his time travel mistake. But the further he went, the more sure Link became that he was not anywhere near Saria's house. He had probably sent Groose on a wild goose chase.

The forest quickly became very dense, and Link had to use his sword to cut through some vines to make his way across. It was probably a good time to go back and see where he went wrong. Link found a tree that had been uprooted and sat on the log for a quick break first. Looking up at the sky, he saw the sun directly overhead; it was noon. His expedition a failure, he decided to head back to camp because he did not want to worry Tarin and Marin. Groose was probably lost too.

Link sat up and stretched his arms out and was about to start walking away when he heard something attractive. It was singing that sounded so beautiful and unhuman, he nearly mistook it for a bird. He concentrated and recognized the quiet words as the Ballad of the Goddess, a sacred song among the Hylians. How could anyone have such an angelic voice? He simply had to find the source of it even though that meant going deeper into the unknown.

He fought his way to the clearing in the woods where the stunning singer was standing. The girl had a black cloak around her whole head that hid her face. That was unfortunate. She was carrying a basket full of something while looking up at the birds, seemingly singing with them. Link approached her from behind and accidentally startled her.

"Hello."

000 


	14. Revelation and Preparation

Chapter 14: Revelation and Preparation

Startled by Link, the girl abruptly stopped singing and turned around. Her cloak covered all but her chin, and a silky hand covered her surprised mouth as she gasped at the sight of him.

With his guardian facade, Link bowed, "My sincere apologies. I should not have interrupted you, but I found your lovely singing irresistable."

The girl blushed and timidly thanked him, but her large hood made her reaction invisible. She was Hylian; there was no doubt about that. The Forest children never grew so tall or had such long, luscious blond hair. Recognizing the similarities, Link quickly warmed up to her and revealed that he had grown up in Kokiri himself.

The girl stated dryly, "I have never been anywhere else." She sounded distant, almost angered.

Link had dreams exactly the opposite of hers. "Sometimes I wish I had never left this peaceful forest."

Unlike her, Link had loved living in the Kokiri Forest. He was jealous that she had been able to live there for all of her childhood, while he was taken away at the age of ten.

"But why?" She said that loudly and bit her lip, immediately wishing she had not sounded so demanding.

"Well..." Link was not willing to crush the dreams of the young lady by telling her of the horrors of life outside that protective ring of trees, "I like the calm lake, the roaming animals, the budding mushrooms, the trees glistening with happy birds." Link was getting a little lost in dreamland, but the word "tree" brought the Great Deku and reality back into his mind.

The girl shouted in complaint, "But what about the monsters!?" She definitely seemed to be feeling irritable.

Link made a revealing face. "Monsters? Are they still bothering this land?"

"For as long as I can remember!" She sounded overly dramatic and her voice and speech were characteristic of the dialect of Hylian upper class.

"How...do you keep yourself...safe?" Link noticed that she had nothing but her cloak and a basket.

The girl explained, "I have an excellent teacher; she is a skilled warrior and has taught me much about self-defense and even some magic."

Link shivered; he hated magic. It was always being used for selfish reasons and evil. He preferred things to be natural. Magic was also responsible for his losing six years of peace and tranquility in Castilla. Nevertheless, Link had grown to learn that in order to fight magic, one usually needs to use magic.

Link frowned and said "that's good" without feeling. There was a small silence until the girl started a conversation about day-to-day things in the forest. Link was more than happy to speak with someone about common ground. He felt entirely relaxed and open as he really had nothing to hide from her. Why could he not be that way when he spoke with others? Were the Great Deku Tree's jokes about him being an incurable quiet type really true?

Link could easily speak any time he wanted to, but he had a trouble making his words genuine, meaningful, and never hurtful. It was easier for him to be quiet. "Speak only when spoken to and only if a response is needed" was Link's general rule. If only his words and feelings could flow easily all the time, he need not be so stoic.

Link noticed a small problem and questioned the girl's honesty. "You say that you have been here since you were a baby. Why is that we never then met when I was a child?" At that moment, Link only remembered Saria and the Great Deku Tree from Kokiri.

Of course there were other acquaintances Link had had. He remembered the children of the forest such as Mido and Fado, and then there was that girl Zelda and her mean nanny named "Imps" or something, and the three annoying fairies, and that witch who sometimes looked as though she were in two places at once. Okay, maybe there were more people in Kokiri than Link at first thought.

The girl shrugged and tightened her hold around her own body. "Oh! My guardian—she is a very stubborn woman; she is strict about my socializing with others. I have lived in virtual seclusion all my life." The girl hinted that she should really not be talking with Link at that moment.

He asked before she could say anymore, "But why must you stay isolated?" That part somehow seemed somewhat familiar to Link.

She sighed. "I have been told many—" The girl suddenly noticed the sun peeking out from the cloud cover. "Dear me!" She had spent far too much time chatting with Link. "Please excuse me! I must be going!" She quickly tidied herself and grabbed her baskets.

Link did not want to lose a new friend so fast. "Hold on. Can I see you again sometime?"

The girl was already walking away. "Um...surely!"

"Where?"

"My house," she pointed in the direction she was running.

Link had to run to keep up with her. "When?"

She turned her head around and shouted back, "Anytime—tomorrow! Right before sunset!"

Link realized he had not learned one important thing. He cupped his hands around his mouth to make up for the distance between them and shouted, "What's your name?!"

She answered, but Link could not hear her clearly enough to discern. As a formal gesture, he yelled out his name and hoped she could hear him.

"I'm Link!"

She was no longer in sight. Link examined the forest around him and tried to remember the spot: it would be crucial to his finding her again.

It was late now—very late. Lunch was probably getting cold while Groose, Marin, and Tarin waited for him. Link had to figure out which way he had turned before he got to that spot in the forest. Blindly following the source of the girl's singing voice, he had not paid attention to where he was going and now he was hopelessly lost.

000

In another portion of the forest, Impa and the fairies were busy in Zelda's house making preparations for the celebration of Zelda's sixteenth birthday. Navi had brought Tael and Tatl there to help Impa bake a cake and work on some unidentified present. However, things were not going as smoothly as expected.

Navi scoffed. "Impa, do you mean to tell me that you, the 'renowned' warrior, maid, and adviser to Hyrule's royalty, does not know what constitutes a cake?!" The little fairy was scowling under the cover of her size.

Impa rolled her eyes; it was not her fault that she had never made sweets before. Living in the forest, such a delicacy was usually not possible to have.

"I don't have any buttermilk. Where do you expect me to get that? Perhaps you would care to hobble across the border to Castilla and grab some of their famous Lon Lon milk so I can make some?" Impa joked out of anger; she was sick of the darn fairy and her twisted directions.

Navi hovered in the air. "Who said anything about buttermilk? For the love of Nayru, I said butter! B. U. T. T. E. R.!" Turning her back to Impa, Navi added with a condescending tone, "If you think buttermilk goes in a basic cake recipe, I feel sorry for Zelda having you as her chef!" Navi settled on the windowsill and crossed her nearly invisible arms.

"Will you two work together for once and get along already?"

Tael interfered and stopped making the dress he and Tatl were magically sowing together. It was a beautiful pink evening gown, laced with glitter and ruffles. The sleeves were short and poofy and were complemented by a V neckline with a gem at the sternum. The accentuated, narrow waist and bust stood in contrast to the enormous, rounded skirt that went almost to the feet. Including Impa's hours of fine work, the expensive fabric and accessories, and the fairies' magic, the dress was worth fortunes. They hoped it was suitable for the princess.

That princess was Princess Zelda, who still had no idea she was royalty. Today, her sixteenth birthday, was the very day Maleficent had cursed her to die, but hidden in the Kokiri Forest, Hyrule believed Zelda would be safe from any attacks from Maleficent.

Because the evil witch Maleficent was still rather inexperienced, she would have to be physically present in order to complete the curse and kill Zelda. Maleficent did not know that the fairies had used the goddesses's divine gifts to alter the curse so that Zelda would not die but fall into a deep sleep. In fact, nobody—Hyrule's government, the king and queen, the people, Maleficent, Impa, the fairies, and even Zelda herself—really had no idea what was going to happen or not happen on that day.

After one cake was christened a complete failure, Impa and Navi managed to overcome their hostilities and bake a rich, dense, yellow cake for the princess. Zelda had never had a birthday cake before or any cake whatsoever; the only cakes she knew about were probably pancake, rice cake, and caking from moisture getting into powder.

Impa was about to frost the delicacy with Zelda's signature color of pink, but Navi stopped her. "You have to let it cool first, or you'll get a big mess! The cake will get all over the topping. Gosh, do you ever—"

Navi was stopped short by a glare from Impa that said, "Enough is enough; stop making fun of me." Impa put down the knife with a loud clang and went over to Tael and Tatl to see how they were doing with the dress. Her anger dissipated at the sight of the perfect gown.

"Oh! It's marvelous! Zelda is going to be so surprised that she might jump of joy!" Impa enviously caressed the delicate trim in awe. The Sheikah warrior usually did not act that way.

Navi eyed Impa suspiciously. "I thought you weren't a girly type? What happened to the fearsome Impa we all know and 'love'?"

"Ah, cut it out Navi. I'm glad Impa likes it." Tael added under his breath, "even though Tatl kept messing up the stitches."

Impa quickly regained her composure and set her eyes in that disinterested downward half-closed dip. "It's not like I stated that I would ever wear such a gaudy dress, but I am certain Zelda will be completely overtaken by it; and when she is happy, I am happy. I mean that in a selfish way."

Tael was quick to act on Impa's words, "Oh, is the little girl being naughty again?" All the fairies laughed.

Impa returned to her kitchen to frost the cake despite Navi's warnings. "I can assure you that Zelda is a respectable young lady and is probably smarter than you three fairies combined." Impa turned her head around the corner of the wall to get a good look at the fairies' response. "And furthermore, she is a princess by birth and acts accordingly." It was unusual for Impa to praise Zelda so much.

Tatl's stomach growled, and she looked out the window. "Speaking of the lil' princess, where is she? Isn't it time for lunch?"

Impa checked the clock. "Goodness! How time does fly! We've been working all morning!" Impa quickly finished frosting the cake with a swirl. "I'll quickly cook something up to eat. Zelda should be home any second. Someone keep an eye out for her. I want to witness her reaction when she sees everything."

The three fairies had also done a little bit of decorating to make it look like they were going to have a party. If only it were possible for three fairies and one woman to seem like a party to the lonely princess...

Navi went outside to wait for Zelda and stall her long enough for the others to get ready to surprise her. Two minutes later, Zelda showed up with with her face hiding under her cloak. She waved at the recognizable orb of purple.

"Hello Navi!"

"Good afternoon, Zelda." Navi tried to subtlety scold her for staying out so long by emphasizing how late it was. "What d'ya got in the basket?"

Zelda cocked her head to the side. "Nothing. I got a little sidetracked." Her eyes were evidence that her thoughts were far away.

Navi took a peak at the house to see if the others were ready for Zelda's entrance. Tatl's light in the window was the signal for Navi to bring her in.

"Come on in. Impa made us a late lunch."

Zelda opened the short wooden door and was astonished by the sight before her. An enormous, elegant dress stood proudly in the middle of the tiny home, and Tael and Tatl were hovering near a sign that said, "Happy Birthday Zelda." Impa held out a lovely round dessert that Zelda assumed to be a cake.

Tatl squeaked. "Zelda! Aren't you going to say something!"

She tried to get a sentence out, but her mind had not processed all of it yet. "I...um...thank you so much!"

Impa again dropped her warrior mask and gave Zelda a motherly hug. "Congratulations! Now you truly are a young lady and no one can deny it!" Impa released Zelda and returned to her usual nit-picking. She brushed a blade of grass off of Zelda's hair. "Where have you been all morning?"

Zelda was used to protecting herself from Impa's accusations. "Oh, just...around." She added quickly, "But I came back in time for lunch just as I said!"

Impa crinkled her nose. How could she be angry with that perfect image of a young woman?

"You are lucky I lost track of time myself."

Zelda's gaze locked on the splendid dress. She slowly walked over to it, but dared not touch it for fear it would shatter.

"Oh, Impa you shouldn't have. How will I ever find an excuse to wear this? You know I have no need for such a thing."

Impa sighed. "Zelda, honey, we need to talk." She motioned for her to sit down.

The fairies, quite aware of the seriousness of the matter, dropped the frivolity and made themselves scarce.

Zelda suddenly became excited and folded her hands on her lap. "Oh, Impa I must first tell you something!"

Impa listened tolerantly. Whatever is was that Zelda wanted to say, it was surely not as important as what Impa had in mind.

"I made a friend today!" declared the little rebel.

Impa gasped. Of all days, why had Zelda picked that day, the day of the curse's fulfillment, to talk to someone? Who knows? Maybe they would tell Maleficent of Zelda's assylum.

"Zelda! What have I been telling you for ages?"

Zelda was again annoyned by her caretaker's overbearing attitude. "Oh, Impa, you need not worry so; he was the kindest, most-honest young gentlemen I have ever met." As if that made a difference; Zelda had never met a man before. "He too grew up here in the Kokiri Forest, and he said that he used to fight the monsters with a sword."

No. It couldn't be. Was it really Him? The little boy Zelda had met as a child: Link, the destined Hero? Who else could it feasibly be aside from an evil minion? Impa had to find out.

"Did he tell you his name!?"

Zelda was a little surprised by Impa's sudden interest. "No, I...he...is there something wrong?"

Impa sighed and put one hand to her forehead. "If the goddesses please, and you are properly prepared, everything should be fine in the end."

Zelda realized that Impa was being very serious or...more serious than usual. "...'In the end'? What are you talking about?"

Impa got right to the point. "Zelda, tomorrow you will meet your parents."

Zelda's face lit up with joy, and she nearly clapped her hands. "Really?! I am finally going to see...my family?!"

Impa felt like a cad for not telling Zelda sooner (as if she had a choice). "Yes, tomorrow we will go to Castle Town to see them. Your parents have a high standing in Hyrule." Impa needed to slowly ease Zelda into the facts.

"I wouldn't mind if they were paupers, as long as they loved me and I could love them!" Zelda's selfless words stung.

"Zelda," Impa's face was so dark that she almost looked evil. "Your parents are the king and queen of Hyrule. You are the one and only princess of Hyrule."

The fairies were praying and watching from the corners of the room. Impa felt guilty—guilty that she was the one that had built Zelda up only to bring her crashing down into reality.

Zelda's penetrating blue eyes of light seared deep into Impa's, and the Skeikah warrior would have cried if she were not so good at controlling her feelings. Zelda, however, could not take the stress. Her sapphires filled with unshed tears, and her sweet voice was heartbreaking.

"Impa," she sniffed, "do you know what this means?" Unable to make eye contact, Impa gave an apologetic nod. "This means that I—I am the Princess of Destiny! I am the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom!"

Zelda knew the legends; if she really was the princess and her name was Zelda, the return of Ganon or some other evil was nigh; the mad, endless cycle of reincarnation had chosen her body to be the temple of Hylia's spirit.

Impa got the courage to look Zelda in the eye, and she held up her left hand so that the princess could see the proof.

"Do you see this mark?"

With her blurred vision, Zelda shook her head no; her birthmark of the Triforce had been slowly fading over the years, and now it was only noticeable to those who knew it was there.

Zelda wiped the last tear out of her eye. She knew what Impa must have been referencing. "It does not matter. If you saw the mark, I know it is there; I am the princess; it all pieces together." Zelda was quick to accept her destiny in a mature way.

Impa touched her folded hands. "There is something else you need to know about. It is the reason we are here in the Kokiri Forest." Zelda nodded but did not really care. Nothing could compare to the fact that she was essential in the defense from yet another attack from Demise's reborn hatred.

Impa went on, "When you were christened, these three fairies," she pointed to Navi, Tael, and Tatl hiding in the background, "bestowed blessings on you from the goddesses themselves. However, at the same time, an evil witch appeared and cursed you." Zelda covered her mouth. "She cursed you to die—this very day." Tears threatened Zelda again, but she stayed strong and allowed Impa to continue. "But Tatl used her blessing from Farore to alter the curse so that you would not die, but rather fall into a deep sleep from which you can only be awakened by true love's first kiss."

Impa gave Zelda some time to process that.

She continued, "We have been hiding here in hope that this witch would never find you; that is why I have sheltered you and blocked you off from the outside world. As long as this witch does not know you are here, she will not be able to physically curse you."

Zelda stayed quiet and thoughtful. All her questions she had had since childhood were being answered at once. "I...think I understand." The built-in wisdom of Zelda's triforce kept her steady. "Impa...I want to thank you for everything you have done for me. If I survive today, all your work will have not been in vain."

The Sheikah woman smiled. "I will continue to guard you for as long as I am physically able. It is a privilege, Princess." Impa was the first person to address her directly that way. "Do not worry about Maleficent, who is the heartless witch that dared to try to harm you. We have successfully eluded her. That foolish woman pales in comparison with the evils I am sorry that you will have to deal with."

Zelda was resolute in an immortal way. "I am not worried about that, but I naturally have some fear about my duty. But then again, I must have much power that I have never even been aware of. You yourself have said that I have extensive magical abilities. Thank the goddesses! I will give everything for Hyrule if I must. In all the legends, there has only been one failure to stop the Evil One. The Hero, along with me, shall not let that be repeated."

That reminded Impa about another topic. "About the Hero, do you remember—this goes way back—that you once met a young boy by the name of Link?"

Zelda took a moment to answer. "Yes...I do. He was peculiar but cute. We were together for but a few hours, but I remember our time together very well." Impa was about to start. "I know what you are going to say: he is the Hero. Of course. I should have noticed that his name was Link."

Impa once again took pride in Zelda's cleverness. "The young man you met today—I have a hunch he is the same person."

"Yes, now that you say that, I am sure of it myself."

Zelda had a magical bond with Link; she was connected to him in many ways. She had been infatuated with him as soon as they met. That was entirely natural: Zelda was the reincarnation Hylia, who had chosen the spirit of the Hero out of love. They were one couple that truly loved beyond death. Even those times when their incarnations did not exactly love one another, their unnatural bond kept them together as friends. Zelda had noticed that and could not help but feel a little guilty about how Hylia had dragged the Hero into such a mess and practically forced her feelings on him.

Impa said, "There is still much to be done; tomorrow, Maleficent the witch's curse will be expired, and we can safely return to Hyrule Castle. You must take up the responsibilities I have long kept you from. I am sure the king and queen will be of much help in guiding and supporting you through this."

Tatl could not bear the suspense any longer and flew over to try to brighten up their spirits. "Zelda, that is not all. You are also betrothed to a prince!"

Zelda's eyes widened and her head gave a slight jerk.

Impa nodded. "This is true. You are betrothed to Phillip of Castilla. Your father and the king of Castilla made this arrangment in order to bind their nations together forever."

Zelda was devastated. She knew that royalty rarely married out of love, but she would have never guessed that she would have to deal with that hurtful fact of life herself! Who was Phillip? Was he at least decent? Hopefully around her age? She had always dreamed of marrying her soul mate and living a humble life, perhaps as a farmer's wife with a child or two, not many. Now she had no choice in the matter. And what was she to do with the feelings she had already developed for the Hero? Not that they would ever be allowed to amount to anything anyway...

Navi noticed her discomfort. "Is something the matter?"

Zelda shook her head. "No, it—it's fine." As a princess, she had to learn to accept things and put her own desires behind her. Luckily, she had the spirit to do just that.

Impa finally got up from her seat. "Come. We must eat. The food is already cold. We can talk more about this later."

Zelda let herself forget about her worries and remembered that it was her birthday. She could not wait to try the cake and play silly games with the fairies. Before having lunch, she went over to her new dress and reveled in its splendor.

"Impa,"

"Yes?"

Navi slapped Tael's little hand as he tried to swipe some frosting off the cake.

"Now I understand why you made me this dress that I cannot begin to describe." She touched it gingerly. "I will be proud to introduce myself to Hyrule as the princess in this regal gown. Thank you. Thank you all."

Everyone smiled and sat down for a meal full of laughter and fun.

Meanwhile, a black crow peered through the window of their cottage and started crying with cheers of evil victory.

000

Author's Note:

Thanks for reading! The climax of Part 1: Zelda's Awakening is close at hand! Stay tuned for Part 2: The Return of Ganon! 


	15. The Princess Is Coming!

Chapter 15: The Princess is Coming!

After his quick chat with the "girl" who was actually none other than Zelda, Link returned to his friends, Tarin, Marin, and Groose, and enjoyed the rest of the day with them in the Kokiri Forest. Because Link was still having trouble understanding what exactly had happened through the preceding six years, spending time in his homeland was comforting and a great improvement to his more recent escapades. The bad feelings of that wretched tunnel that Kaepora Gaebora had led him into were still lingering in his mind. Anger started to take root in Link as he kept reprimanding himself for playing that accursed "Song of Time" and sending himself into the future. Was he ever going to be able to go back?

Everyone was seated around the campfire, while Groose toasted himself a sausage. Tarin was calmly smoking his pipe, when he noticed that his daughter Marin was frowning, her face scrutinizing Link. Tarin looked over at Link and saw him staring straight ahead into the bleak forest with his eyes bulging out of his head.

Tarin thought of something that he had been wanting to ask him and spoke up. "Hey, Link...I been thinking. Being as tomorrow you gotta meet up with the prince and the others and go to Hyrule and all," Link's pointy ears immediately perked up, and he gave Tarin his attention. What was he talking about? Link had no idea that he was going to Hyrule proper, much less with the royal family! Surely his vacation was not only one day's worth? He still had to talk to Saria and the Great Deku Tree!

Tarin went on, "I know you'll want to be hitting the sack soon, but I was wondering...jus' because you're leavin' in the mornin', why should we turn back so soon after you took yer time to bring us here? We have enough supplies to last fer a couple'r days."

Link was stuck on the part about him going to Hyrule. "Um...uh, are you sure you'll be able to make out on your own?"

"Link." Groose lifted his hand and wiggled his fingers to draw attention to himself. "Did you forget? I'm here! I'll take care of Dad and Marin."

Marin gave her brother a disapproving glance, but she seemed to support Tarin's proposal. Link was unsure if he could trust them to stay in the Kokiri Forest all by themselves. According to that girl (Zelda), monsters were still aboundant in the region.

"Will you know how to get back to Castilla?" he asked.

Marin nodded. "Certainly. We are not very deep in the forest."

Link was unconvinced. "Will you be able to protect yourselves?"

After making a considerable upheaval fetching his sword, Groose fumbled with the blade, nearly cutting himself, until he had managed to lift it in the air unsteadily. Link regretted asking that question.

"I'll protect us with my life...or at least with my sword." Everyone seemed to reject Groose's rusted iron knife. "Hey, uh, I also got some personal self-defense mechanisms! I call them mini Groosinators!"

Despite hopeless Groose, Tarin was not worried; he did not believe monsters existed. "I'm sure we'll be fine, Link."

"Well...if you would like to stay here a while longer, I don't see how I can stop you. I hope the Kokiri won't mind."

Groose scoffed. "Psshaw! What are they going to do? Go crying to Hyrule Castle, 'Help! Scary redheaded humans from Castilla are invading our little forest!'" Marin and Tarin could not hide their laughter.

Link was a little bit insulted because he felt that the Forest Children were his brethren. Having Hylian ancestry, growing up among the Kokiri, and serving Castilla's royalty made Link have loyalty to all these different cultures.

"All right. Stay here as long as you wish, but remember that I didn't recommend it. I'll be leaving with Epona and my stuff early in the morning."

The previously good relations between Link and Tarin and his children were being strained by the petty disagreement. Link went into his tent and zipped it closed without saying anything more.

Groose scratched his back. "Sheesh. That sure leaves a sour taste in your mouth."

Marin glared at Groose; it was his fault that Link had been offended. "You hurt his feelings. Why can't you ever shut up?"

Tarin tried to calm them down. "Don't fret. Link is a tough guy. He's as tough as they come. I knew it the day I met him. If he's a little bit upset, it's only 'cuz he's worried about 'ar safety. He's a fine boy, but he can get a little overly protective because he's used to protecting people; it's his job."

His children nodded solemnly.

Marin let out a quiet yawn. "I think I'm going to be getting to bed as well."

Groose finished his sausage and threw the stick away. "Me too."

"All right," Tarin let out a puff of his pipe's smoke, "I'm gonna stay up a little while. I'll be sure to put the fire out before I hit the hay."

Marin sighed. "Okay. Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight kids."

The silver moon drifting over the cracks of the tree canopy above him, Tarin sat next to the blazing fire, his eyes on Link's tent. There was something about the boy that Tarin could not understand, but he noticed its presence.

000

The next morning, Link came crawling out of his sleeping bag in nearly complete darkness. It was around four o'clock and the sun had not risen yet. As he waited for dawn, he gathered his things together and got Epona ready for—what was he getting ready for?

The day before, Tarin had told him that he needed to meet up with the prince (whom he assumed to be Phillip or Richard) and then head over to Hyrule. Link guessed that meant he would meet the Castillians at the nearby border—the crossroads between Hyrule and Castilla and Gerudo Valley and the Kokiri Forest, that dirt road lying adjacent to the stream that drained Lake Hylia, the place his first major battle had taken place—where he had first met King Hubert and been assimilated into Castilla's guard.

Link relied on instinct again to lead him to his destiny. He really had no other choice. Without waking up the others, Link loaded his gear on Epona and set off with determination. He had a job to do and nothing would ever stop him from fulfilling it—not even the Great Evil!

"Hello, friend."

Dang it! Link jerked his head around to see who was following him. He had been letting Epona walk rather slowly to avoid having her get injured by the enormous tree roots. His eyes glued to the person addressing him: Dark Link, that horrendous doppleganger! Link was sourly annoyed. The shadow of himself trotted over to Epona and stopped her from continuing.

Dark Link began his usual antics. "I know your secret. I know that you are guilty of bending a natural law that only divine intervention can alter." Link cocked his head quizzically. "Don't you dare try to deny it. You see, when you sent yourself into the future, you brought me along with you. I am just as confused as you are and no less upset."

Link shoved the ghostly hand off of Epona's reins and let Epona start walking again, slowly. He was not afraid of Dark Link; if that thug dared to molest him or Epona, he would give him the fatal taste of his sword.

Link kept his head high. "Your blackmail means nothing to me. You're a despicable coward."

Dark Link's black face had a menacing smirk. Did that demon have any teeth? "Look Link, I have a job for you."

The green boy objected. "I won't do it."

The evil one laughed at Link's abruptness. "Oh, come on, you haven't even heard what your assignment is. I won't have you do anything disagreeable...at least not yet."

Link turned his head around to eye the Dark One walking behind him and halted Epona. "I will not aide the hand of evil."

"Well, you haven't much choice. Failure to obey me might lead to Hyrule discovering the 'devil' inside you, if you know what I mean."

That was a serious threat. If Dark Link ever showed his face to the public, people would recognize him as Link, leaving the Hero in a terrible situation.

Link's face stayed emotionless. "What is it you want?"

"Get me a blue potion!" Dark Link made it sound as though it were of great importance.

Link was surprised. "Is that all? What do you want with that?"

"That is no concern of yours! Now do as you are told or face the consequences!" The misty shadow slowly disappeared into thin air.

Link knew that he would eventually have to eliminate that imposter, but he was considering giving in to his demands just this one time. After all, a blue potion would not harm anything, right?

As Link pondered over the question, he quickly arrived outside the forest and made his way to the bridge that connected Castilla to Hyrule. The stream beneath it was full of life, with quite a powerful current loaded with fish. Upon meeting the border guard, Link was informed that monsters were very active in the area.

"There were so many of them: Stalfos, Moblins, and things I don't even know the name for." The sergeant of the guard was giving Link the full account of the recent attacks. "We were terribly outnumbered, and if it were not for the Gerudo volunteers, I'm sure we would have been crushed. Luckily, we got reinforcements from Hyrule and pushed the nuisances back to their hideouts."

Link observed the many Gerudo patrolling the area. Hyrule had been increasingly relying on its many autonomous regions to supply the manpower needed to protect every corner of the kingdom. Still, there were portions of the land such as the Kokiri Forest that were not being watched.

Link was interested to hear more. "Where are their hideouts?"

The sergeant was a little caught off guard by that question. "Well...everywhere! In Kokiri Forest, in the deserts of the Gerudo, Castilla, and any patch of land not inhabited by our kind."

"Has there ever been any attempt to eradicate them?"

"Nope. Leaders claim that it would be too risky to send the number of troops necessary to wipe one group of 'em out while another monster horde could possibly make an attack on our villages. I personally think that's being stupid and cowardly. We got to stop them once and for all. If only our king would give the order..." The sergeant gave Link a look that meant to keep quiet about his outspoken opinion. "Then on the other hand, rumors keep spreading that these monsters are coming out of thin air or some sort of wicked magic. Apparently dozens are being deployed against us every day by some greater force, only heaven knows what."

"...greater force...great evil...the Evil One...monsters...destiny...courage...power...wisdom...princess...Triforce...Ganon...the Hero..."

For the first time, Link realized that the events in his time were shockingly similar to the legends. Link had never taken the legends seriously, but the congruences to reality were knawing away at his lack of faith. Was the Great Evil that the Deku Tree and Kaepora Gaebora had told Link about perhaps related to the legends? It couldn't be. That would imply that Ganon was about to become alive again and that Link was the reincarnation of the Hero. Nonsense! The legends weren't entirely true anyway! Sure, everybody said there was some truth in them, but in no way could that be. But then why did monsters really exist? Monsters were suppossed to be fake.

One of the Hylian soldiers came. "Sergeant! A large caravan is approaching from Castilla's side of the stream. Rodney said that it looks like Castilla's Royal Battalion."

"Good. Tell the corporal to prepare his men to escort them to the castle."

Link interrupted, "I don't think that will be necessary." He had a mischievous look in his otherwise pure eyes.

Both soldiers made a grunt of confusion. "What?"

"Well, you see, sir, I am a royal guardian of Castilla. I was told to come here to accompany the prince."

The sergeant looked at his subordinate curiously, but the latter shrugged. "What did you say your name was?"

"Link, guardian of Castilla's royal family."

The sergeant was still confused and took off his hat to scratch his head.

The private put the imformation together and explained, "He must be the Hylian boy from Kokiri that was awarded a place in Castilla for saving the royal family. He's said to be a devil with the sword, and King Harkinian thinks greatly of him." Link got mixed emotions in response to the soldier's description of himself.

The sergeant finally remembered something about Link. "Oh. Yeah. Well, orders is orders. We brought extra men here for the reason of escorting the foreign king and company. This may seem unnecessary, but you know Hyrule: always got to put on a show." He thought he saw an arrogant look on Link's face and wanted to address that. "And besides, no matter how good of a guardian you may be, soldier, never become overconfident. No matter how brave you are, you are still a mortal." Link acknowledged somewhat guiltily, and the three of them stepped out of the small hut to greet Castilla's royalty.

The leader of the caravan dismounted his horse and saluted. "King Hubert and Prince Phillip to proceed to Hyrule Castle as requested." He handed a note to the sergeant of the guard.

"Excellent. I have a small detachment of spearsmen that King Harkinian sent to escort you there." Since there were already quite a few Castillian guards, the Hylians seemed entirely unnecessary.

"Very well." The Castillian captain turned to Link. "Sir Link, what are you doing here?"

That was not what Link was expecting. "Er...I was told to accompany the prince on his visit to Hyrule?"

"Yes, but I thought it was agreed that you would meet us at Hyrule Castle."

Link had no idea who the Castillian captain was and even less idea of their plans. Everything was but a blur; detailed images appeared in Link's mind, but he remembered nothing explanatory. Link sighed. How much was he going to suffer due to that time travel mistake of his?

"Can I not come with you?"

A carriage door opened up, and King Hubert himself stepped out. "Leopold, what is holding us from proceeding?"

The captain gestured to Link. "The prince's guardian is here."

"Well, then send him here!"

Hubert's softness was never revealed to his army. He always treated them coldly. Only the royal family and Link and perhaps a few others in Castilla's government knew that Hubert was a kind man, always worried, and easily offended.

Link marched over to the carriage with the coat of arms on it and bowed. The king addressed him dismissively. "I thought you would still be in Kokiri, but it is good to see that you are eager to get going." As Hubert stepped back into the carriage, he paused and asked a question. "You have not been to Hyrule Castle in a while, have you, Link?"

Excluding his six years that were vanquished by time travel, Link had never been to Hyrule Castle. He did have a shadowy idea of what it looked like though.

"No, your majesty."

Hubert gave a brief smile and Link stepped up to the driver's seat.

"Link!"

It was Phillip, Hubert's oldest child and the only one present in the armored carriage. He had become quite an impressive young man with square shoulders, a protruding chest, and a regal posture. He was not necessarily tall, but he had a sturdy frame and a subtle handsomeness.

"Come inside! I must speak with you."

With a tiny black mustache, Link could hardly recognize his good friend the prince. How old was he? Twenty-one?

Link descended, much to the driver's satisfaction, for Link took up too much room on the tiny seat. After ue entered the carriage, Hubert signaled for the leader to start. The Hylians readied their horses, and the mounted Castillian armymen filled the air with the sounds of clanking metal and hoof beats. It was quite a large detachment of troops for a friendly visit between neighboring kingdoms, but Hubert was unwilling to take any risks with the monster problem.

Phillip was a mess—not physically, but emotionally. "Oh, Link, I'm so anxious to meet the princess. I keep thinking of everything I might do wrong."

"The princess?" Link thought, "Oh, yeah, Phillip is betrothed to the princess of Hyrule. That must be what this trip is all about."

Hubert, calm as he always made himself appear, tried to soothe Phillip. "She is only sixteen. You have no need to worry. She has not been brought up to have her nose in the air. In fact, I think you will find her to be a relaxed person and not...um...Link, what's the word you like to use?" Hubert was really quite fond of Link, but he never let anyone else see him treat Link in a casual way.

Link shook his head in haste. "Uh...pompous?"

"Yes, pompous is the word. I am sure that Zelda is not pompous."

Zelda? That sounded familiar to Link.

Phillip was not impressed. "Father, she is the princess of Hyrule! Why, Hyrule defines pompous!" The Castillian royalty certainly liked to use Link's distinctly Hylian vocabulary.

Hubert was getting tired of the conversation. Phillip had been repeating his fears ever since they left Castilla. "Phillip, there is something you should know." Both Link and the prince stayed quiet and pensive. "Princess Zelda has been in hiding since she was a baby. At the time of her birth, a witch tried to curse her to get revenge on Hyrule. However, the princess has succesfully kept herself from being found, and that threat is no longer a problem." Harkinian and Leah had told Hubert all about Zelda's childhood and ensuing arrival. "That is why we are going to meet her today. Since she has been away from the castle and the Hyrulean system of hierarchy, she will naturally not be like a typical noble." Hubert had a good point.

Phillip was relieved, but only partially. "Link, there are still some questions I have about Hyrulean etiquette that I would like to put to you."

That did not sound good. Though he was a Hylian, Link only knew about Hyrule's culture from reading. He had grown up like a Forest Child, not a Hylian.

Several vague yet assuring answers later, the caravan arrived at Hyrule's capital. The majestic spires of the castle could be seen from miles away. The entirety of Castle Town was a busy community of merchants, castle workers, and professionals. Link noticed the contrast between Hyrule and Castilla: Hyrule's capital was easily thrice as large as Castilla's with a castle in the same proportion. The population of Castle Town alone far exceeded all of Castilla. Most notable to outsiders was the gap in technology. Hyrule was a world leader in science and production, but Castilla still relied on old methods and simple farming and ranching. Hyrule seemed so modern, and its whole civilization was a fluid machine composed of Hylians, Zoras, Gerudo, Gorons, and humans.

"Isn't it engrossing?" Phillip was in a daze staring out the window of the carriage.

"Someday you will live in that castle and be the queen's closest adviser: Prince Consort of Hyrule. That will be a heavy responsibility." Hubert noticed that Phillip was still awestruck. "Do not let it get to your head."

Phillip did not hear his father. "Link, you will come with me to meet the princess, right?"

"Um..."

King Hubert was only accompanying Phillip because it was August, the month Harkinian and Hubert always met for diplomacy. Therfore, he would not be able to stay with his son the entire time.

Phillip put his hand on Link's shoulder. "Oh, you must. I might give in to my nerves if I am left all alone."

Link almost felt pity for the prince. Like himself, Phillip really had no choice in life. Everything had been decided for him, even his wife. Such was the fate of royalty.

Link gave in. "As you wish."

000

"Princess, hurry up!" Tatl nervously flew around Zelda's bedroom as the princess got dressed into her gown that Impa and the fairies had made.

Zelda let out a sound of frustration. "Heels, corsets, huge skirts—I am not used to these clothes."

"Well you had better start learning! From now on you got to look like a princess!"

Zelda sighed. "Yes, I know. This has all been so sudden."

Zelda appeared from behind her screen with her new gown. She attached two blue diamond earrings and put on a golden necklace with the Triforce symbol. Her hair had been done by Impa and was tied above her head in a bun. Zelda stood up and twirled around once in front of a mirror, trying to cheer herself up.

"You look beautiful, Princess and I'm not saying that to be nice. You're georgeous, simply stunning. Prince Phillip is going to break a sweat as soon as he sees you." Tatl flew around Zelda, getting a good look at her own handiwork with the dress.

Zelda blushed. "I am ready to leave now."

She gave her home one last look, everything still in its place. Perhaps Impa or some guards would return later to gather her things. A single drop of liquid escaped her left eye without leaving a trail, but her princess facade stopped the rest of the tears from showing.

Impa and twelve of Hyrule's best knights were waiting outside with a horse for Zelda because a carriage would not fit through the narrow paths of Kokiri. As Zelda stepped out of the short doorway, her flamboyant pink attire contrasted pleasantly with the otherwise purely green forest. Impa had to admit that pink and green always seemed to go well with each other.

The guards bowed to their princess with their eyes peeking out of their helmets. She had been nothing more than a rumor to them for many years, and finally meeting the legendary princess was quite an experience. To Zelda, their bow was symbolic of her leaving her childhood to start a new life as the princess she was born as.

It was going to take a terribly long time for Zelda to adapt to the new lifestyle, and she might never recover from the stress. However, Impa had taught Zelda much of what she needed to know in order for her to become a successful monarch. She would not be a failure.

Zelda mounted her perfect white horse, which she would have appreciated if she were not feeling low. She inclined her head.

"Let us be off."

Impa started moving and the knights followed. When ample space was available, the guards formed a protective circle around the princess. That was how it was to be for the rest of her life: she would always be hemmed in and treated differently from normal people. Her life was treasured for symbolic reasons. It was almost sad.

000

Upon Zelda's arrival, hundreds of troops lined up so that they would be on her left and right as she passed through Castle Town. She was welcomed by crowds of adoring citizens and triumphant fanfare. Rauru, an influential man in the royal court, stood from a balcony of the castle and publicly announced the princess with a voice like a loudspeaker.

"Three cheers for the Princess of Hyrule!" cried the people.

Zelda was loathing the entire procedure.

As they made their way into the castle, Zelda began feeling nervous. She was gong to meet the king and queen who were none other than her parents! She was lost in a mixture of fear and reverie and blindly walked with Impa down the busy halls of Hyrule Castle. They came to a room guarded by two fully armored soldiers and huge wooden double-doors. That was it, the throne room. The guards let Zelda and Impa in, and no fewer than twenty faces appeared, smiling and inclining their heads to show respect. That was Hyrule's government. At the end of the line of people sat the king and queen, nearly crying of joy.

Harkinain shouted out, "Zelda!"

Impa stopped where she was and kneeled, whispering to the princess to move on. Zelda slowly walked up to her parents and, unable to think of anything else to do, she gave a small bow. She awkwardly stayed in that position and waited for them to make the next move.

Queen Leah spoke to her in what could only be described as a goddess's voice. "Arise, daughter."

Mother and daughter came eye to eye and Zelda gave a sweet smile. She was almost shaking of nervousness.

The queen signaled for everyone else to leave. "You may be dismissed."

The royal court bowed and quietly stepped out. Impa got up to leave as well, but the king stopped her. "Impa, our most devoted servant, please stay." She nodded and came a little bit closer.

Harkinian sat up and stretched out his arms to his daughter. "Zelda, come to me!"

He enveloped her in a teary hug and Leah followed. Though they still seemed like strangers, Zelda could easily imagine loving the two sovereigns. Even the stalwart Impa thought that the scene of two parents being reuinted with their daughter was touching.

Leah unwillingly let Zelda out of her grasp and motioned for her to sit down. "Sixteen years away from us—oh, Zelda, I will never be able to express how sorry we are for doing this to you!"

Zelda's peaceful voice sounded tiny in the enormous room. "I understand. It was an unselfish act for which I am entirely grateful. Impa has done everything possible to help prepare me." To her parents, Zelda's voice sounded like the sweetest thing on earth.

Harkinian stuck out his chin. "Impa, she...knows?" He was referring to her possession of the Triforce and what that entailed.

"Your Majesty, Princess Zelda is extraordinarily wise. She immediately realized as soon as I revealed that she is Hyrule's princess."

Zelda acknowledged, "I accept my fate." She seemed so mature, so steadfast, almost cold.

Leah put her hand on Zelda's. "My daughter, we have much to discuss about this, but for now let us forget about the prophecy and celibrate your arrival. There is plenty I want to ask you."

That sounded good in theory, but Zelda could not easily put away her worries as the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom.

"Zelda," Harkinian sounded apologetic, "I want you to know that despite our isolation from one another and our duties in this kingdom, we are still your father and mother and you can always rely on us as such. Let there be no feeling of unease between us."

Zelda was thankful that she had parents who truly loved her and treated her as family, not an heir.

A messenger entered the throne room. "Your Majesty, I beg your pardon for interrupting, but the royal caravan from Castilla is here."

Harkinian sat up again. "Ah! Excellent! Tell King Hubert I will be waiting for him in the council room." He looked back at Zelda and remembered something else. "Oh, and bring Prince Phillip here to meet the princess."

"It will be done."

Harkinian stopped to ask, "Impa, have you also told Zelda about Phillip?" The Skeikah nodded. "That is good. Zelda, my daughter, I regret that I must leave you so soon, but I have my duties."

"I understand, Father."

Everyone was quiet for a few seconds. The way how she addressed him so affectionately, so normally, so easily, was golden. Zelda had adjusted really quickly. Harkinian left the throne room with the biggest smile on his face.

Leah tried to comfort Zelda. "I know that this idea of marrying a prince must seem alien to you, but I am sure that you will find him to be one of the most kind-hearted young men alive."

"Mother," Zelda hesitated because she was still unsure if using the family title was appropriate, "how old is he?"

"He is twenty-one, but relatively boyish."

Zelda looked horrified. She was going to marry someone six years older than herself?

"The marriage is not for another two years. I am sure the gap will not be noticeable by then."

Zelda folded her hands and stared downward. "I suppose..."

Impa had been very quiet the whole time, for it was not her place to speak unless spoken to.

Leah recogonized Zelda's apprehension. "It is difficult, is it not?"

Zelda did a double take. "I...have not had time to fully...think about it."

Leah understood. "When I was two years younger than you, your father picked me out of a crowd of nobles during a ball and told his mother, the late Queen Ophelia, that I was the one he wanted." The queen laughed pitifully. "Several days later, my father told me the queen had requested that I become young Prince Harkinian's future wife. My father then simply stated that he had accepted the offer for me. I was shocked and almost horrified."

Zelda was surprised and interested. "So, you were betrothed as well?"

Leah nodded. "Yes, but I was determined to make the best of it. Many people thought that I was extremely lucky, but marrying the strong-willed prince was not an easy thing for me to accept." Leah gave a crooked smile remembering Harkinian in his youth. "However, we visited with one another often, and after I overcame my shyness, we had many a day of childish fun together. When the time finally came for us to be married, I can say that I truly loved your father, and he loved me. This is important, Zelda. Without love, marriage is a nothing more than a constant, formal nightmare. It is my wish that you and Phillip will come to love one another and live a happy life together. Marriage is one of the most important decisions of life, but that privilege is not granted to royalty. I know that love and compatibility cannot be created out of will, but I pray and hope that this will end well for you and him."

Zelda was legitimately comforted. She acknowledged her mother's words and hugged her again. "Thank you for telling me all this. It means a great deal to me."

"For you, I only want the best." Leah got up to leave. "Phillip should be here shortly; please forgive any breaches of etiquette on his part. He is a shy boy and also a foreigner. I would not be surprised if he were a tad bit scared to meet the 'great princess of Hyrule' either." Leah winked and Zelda giggled.

Leah laughed too and held her hand out to her friend. "Come Impa, we have much to discuss since the last time we were together."

Impa left with her former mistress and gave the princess a gesture of support. Zelda was interested to see that Impa and Leah were apparently very close. It made her realize that Impa had had a full life before she was born into the world and brought into Impa's care. Zelda owed that woman much.

After a few minutes, which seemed to take forever in the lonely throne room, the messenger returned and announced Zelda's betrothed, "His majesty, Prince Phillip of Castilla."

The black-haired young man entered and walked up to her and bowed. Strangely, a young knight came in as well, closing the doors behind him. From the distance, Zelda could not clearly see who it was.

The prince took off his hat. "Princess Zelda of Hyrule, I am greatly pleased to meet you." He kneeled and kissed her hand, making Zelda blush from the formality.

Manners first. "It is I who am pleasured to make your acquaintance. Will you sit down?" Zelda used a voice unlike her real one and tried to be polite.

Philip took the seat. "Yes, thank you."

The prince began talking about duty, love, politics, and the consequences of their engagement. Castilla was to become a province of Hyrule, Zelda was to become the queen, and Phillip her consort. Zelda could not help but feel that it was a memorized speech, but he seemed sincere and passionate and entirely humble. He was not as far from her style as she had imagined. However, Zelda kept stealing glances at the guard that had come in with Phillip. His presence was distracting and somewhat embarrassing.

Phillip noticed her unease and pointed at his companion standing at the other end of the room like an armored suit. "I would like you to meet my personal guardian, friend, and companion, Sir Link." He called down the room, "Link, will you please come here?" The boy dutifully walked over and made a deep bow, nearly touching the floor with his nose. "Princess Zelda, this is Sir Link, a Hylian by birth."

She knew who he was. He was the Hero. He was the boy she had met in Kokiri as a child. He was responsible for defeating the Great Evil when it returned. He was her counterpart, the bearer of the Triforce of Courage.

He was the one she had met the day before and flirted with, for Nayru's love!

Link spoke without feeling in his words. "Your Majesty, I am humbled to be in the same room as the princess of this glorious kingdom."

He did not seem to recognize her, or at least he pretended not to. Perhaps the cloak she wore had hidden her face from him? If so, would he recognize her voice, which he had so ardently praised?

Using the same formal speech she used with Phillip and her parents, Zelda opened, "I have heard much about you. Your heroic deeds are worthy of praise."

Link was too modest to accept her words, but he dipped his head.

Before the trio could say anything more, the messenger again returned and told Phillip that his father wanted to speak with him. Despite his objections, the prince was forced to leave. He wanted to see Zelda again soon though.

"Princess Zelda, I hope to accompany you for luncheon." He bowed again and began walking away with Link behind his side.

Zelda stopped them. "Phillip," he turned around. "There is something of importance that I must tell your guardian. May I detain him?"

Link looked like lightning had hit him, and Phillip was no less surprised by the peculiar request. "Oh, um...certainly." He turned to his guard. "Link, I leave you in the hands of the princess."

The boy nodded robotically.

Phillip left on quick feet, leaving only the two of them in the gigantic throne room. It was just the Princess of Destiny and the Hero himself.

Zelda tried to sound amiable. "Link, will you come here and sit down?"

He did so cautiously and without the faintist idea what her plan was all about. Zelda considered telling him that she was the one he had met in the Kokiri Forest, but remembing her own flirtatious conduct, she decided against it. At the time, she had not known she was a princess and had not acted accordingly. Instead, she decided to tell him something of much greater importance.

"Are you famaliar with the legends?"

He remained unreadable. "Sufficiently."

"Does my name mean anything to you then?"

He pondered over that for a while. "Did we once meet in the Kokiri Forest as children?"

So he didn't know.

"Yes, I am surprised you remember that," apparently he did not recognize her from their encounter the day before, but rather remembered their childhood meeting, "but that is not what I meant."

Link was puzzled.

"In every legend, the princess's name is always Zelda."

He was still not getting it.

"My name is Zelda because I am the reincarnation of Hylia, and you—you are the Hero."

Link waited a second to see if she was serious and then lost his composure and started laughing. "Well, excuse me, Princess, but that cannot be so."

Zelda frowned. How could the Hero be so simple? She grabbed his left hand and intertwined hers with it.

"Ouch!"

He jerked away and shook his hand in vain to relieve the burning. He looked down on it and behold, the emblem of the Triforce with the lower left corner aflame was imprinted on his left hand. Zelda held up her right hand and a similar phenomena was evident.

"Now do you believe me?!" It was the first time she was angry with him; it would not be the last.

Link was dumbfounded. Shock and awe adorned his face. He knelt down beside her with a sudden change of mood.

"I—I'm sorry. I have been a fool not to realize this sooner."

Zelda now felt bad; she had recently learned of her part in all the mess herself. "You know what this means then?"

Link's mouth dropped downward. "Yes, the Evil One is probably—" Link shook his head in unbelief. "What are we going to do?"

"There is nothing for us to do but be ready. Before our days are over, a great evil is bound to come into our world, and it is our duty to stop it." Zelda seemed confident as though it were already over.

Link had a defeated look on his face. "I...have a hard time...grasping all this."

Zelda had sympathy for him; it was he who had the bigger burden. "I completely understand your worries; I am still in shock myself. You have already proven yourself in battle. I believe the monsters we have been fighting for so long are under the guidance of another, which evidence causes me to believe is Ganon or his Gerudo form Ganondorf."

Link sat up. "Princess," she liked hearing him call her that, "I think I would like to take some time to think over this. May I...?"

She gave him leave. "I have nothing more to say at present. Feel free to go."

Before Link could leave, the doors opened and Phillip returned and knelt beside Zelda.

"Princess Zelda," the prince turned his head to his guardian, "and Sir Link. His majesty, King Harkinian has explained to me that you two are chosen by the gods to defend Hyrule from an demonic threat. For years, my countrymen always considered Hyrule's history to be fabricated largely by legend, but now, with the monsters and such, it has become clear to everyone that the prophecies are true."

Zelda was concerned by Phillip's somber attitude. "Does this revelation worry you in any way?"

"Frankly, yes, I am worried for you," His eyes bore into Zelda's, "and for Link." Phillip was selfless and had a pure heart. He brought his attention back to Link. "How long have you known this?"

Link was still not acting himself and locked his eyes on the Hylian crest on the wall of the throne room. "The princess just told me before you came."

Everyone looked at each other in an odd way. They were all quite surprised and almost deadened by their sad fate.

Zelda tried to ease the tension. "It seems we all have been suddenly beset with this disturbing information at the same time."

Phillip agreed. "Yes, but I suppose it is better that everyone kept quiet about this; we do not want to worry the public." Link and Zelda nodded. Phillip turned to his guardian. "Link, I want you to have the day off. Give yourself a chance to adjust. Perhaps you would like to see Kokiri again?"

Link could not resist that offer; he would love to make a rendezvous with his new girlfriend and forget about being the Hero. Zelda remembered her promise to him and felt guilty that she could not keep it. If only she could tell him...

Link smiled. "I appreciate that."

They all wanted to put away their worries. Why let a single event ruin an entire life?

Phillip took Zelda's arm in his. "Shall we join your parents for lunch, Princess?"

She laughed faintly. "Call me Zelda."

Phillip smiled; he liked her lack of formality. "All right, Zelda, will you join me?"

She played along with it. "Certainly."

Link watched the couple walk away and felt happy for his friend Phillip. Zelda was the perfect picture of wisdom, beauty, and spotless character. What a blessing to be had! Now it was time for Link to go find his own girl in the Kokiri Forest. Only the poor boy did not know that the "girl" and Zelda were one in the same.

000

Maleficent closed an orb she had been using to watch Hyrule Castle. Her menacing cackle echoed off the walls of her own castle.

"Such fools! Do they really think they have escaped my curse by waiting one day? How ignorant! They tampered with my magic and thought they were smart, but it is I who have assembled a plan that will not only eliminate Zelda, but also the rest of their kind! Ha-ha-ha!"

Maleficent's Goons laughed with their evil leader and prepared an army for possible confrontation with Hyrule's allies.

Sometimes life was plain mean to people who did not deserve to be treated so poorly. Such was the plight of Link and Zelda.

000 


	16. Never Underestimate

Chapter 16: Never Underestimate

Link saddled Epona for another trip to Kokiri. Although the forest was somewhat far away from Castle Town, he had much he wanted to do there. The long ride could give him time to think about himself, but most importantly, Link needed to relax and put his worries behind him. Since he was unaware that the girl he had met was Zelda, he still thought he had a date with her. Link also wanted to get imput from Saria and the Great Deku Tree about his accidental time travel.

Zelda had revealed to Link that he was the Chosen Hero and she the Chosen Princess. Though Link had been told that he was destined to play a part in the destruction of evil ever since he was very small, he was still in a state of shock. The sudden news of his being the reincarnation of a figure of legend was extraordinarily against his character and philosophy. He was not ready to bear the burden of a kingdom.

Link needed time to convince himself to accept reality; then perhaps he could begin preparing himself for the inevitable. In some ways, there really was not that much to do aside from finding the Master Sword which every Hero had needed to wield at one point or another. Link definitely needed to get that sword if he was to be successful, but he had not the slightest idea where or how or when he would find the legendary blade.

As Link set off for Kokiri, the royalty had luncheon together, and Zelda and Phillip got to know each other better. As always, Hubert and Harkinian were getting along fine, and Leah was appreciative to have her old companion Impa back. Despite the fact that Zelda and Link were obvious signs of a prophesied catastrophe, everyone was happy and relieved that Hyrule had at least won a minor battle with Maleficent by successfully saving Zelda from the curse.

Or so they thought...

000

"Idiots. They think they have won?! I have not yet begun to fight! This is really too easy. I am almost hesitant to take advantage of these silly Hylians."

Maleficent closed her magical window into the castle that she was using for spying. She was hellbent yet again.

"But they have wronged me, and for this they will pay...with the life of their beloved princess."

Maleficent's Goons got a huge morale boost by the witch's declaration that she would personally curse Zelda in an attack on Hyrule that day. Her minions were raising their crude weapons in the air and chanting insults at Hyrule. They had nearly demanded that Maleficent let them siege Hyrule Castle, but she knew that such an excursion would be a fool's errand. Her stupid Goons were rather weak and useless, and the other monsters and armies around Hyrule would have made quick work of destroying them.

Although Maleficent was still angry that she had no formidable allies, her own strength had grown to threatening levels. She was a master of sorcery of all sorts. Perhaps even she did not know what she was fully capable of.

Maleficent's crow, a demonlike animal that spoke, landed on her shoulder and whispered into her ear, "Haha, Zelda is alone now in her bedroom, haha!"

Maleficent smiled and stroked the loyal bird; he was one minion she liked. There was something peculiar and perverse about her relationship with that crow that suggested that it was an ordinary bird possessed by a demonic spirit.

Maleficent raised her sceptre to get her Goons attention. "I shall now leave to avenge myself. I entrust you with the security of my castle."

Some castle she had; it looked more like a haunted house with an uncertain floor built on weak rock pillars. The Goons grumbled because they did not want to sit idly while their mistress had fun.

To try to appease them, Maleficent added, "If all goes well, we shall conquer Hyrule within the next few days."

They seemed satisfied with that. The Goon's voices were all quite different and more humorous than ugly. Each one was a living example of a particular character flaw—laziness, pride, goofiness. It was almost foolish of Maleficent to bother with such weak beings, for they were no better than trained dogs in combat. Those silly animals were no match for real monsters or experienced soldiers.

Maleficent teleported all the way to Hyrule Castle, costing herself much energy. She kept her body invisible, and let her crow lead her to Zelda. Maleficent was unfamaliar with the immense fortress and its complicated system of spiraling staircases and secret passages. The whole castle was bristling with guards and government workers since there was much excitement from Zelda's recent arrival. Hubert and his son Phillip were staying longer than expected because there was some unfinished business between Castilla and Hyrule and also because Hubert felt obligated to make an arrangement regarding Link.

Maleficent's crow made its way across towers and through parapets, trying to avoid being spotted. Peeking around corners, the bird found Zelda's tower right where he left it. Finally, the crow stopped and pointed through a window overlooking a courtyard. Inside was Zelda trying to get adjusted to her new room. Though her worries of Ganon's or whatever devil's eventual return were lingering, Zelda was not expecting anything immediate, and she was so happy to be united with her parents. She was underestimating the strength and intelligence of the witch that seeked her life.

Maleficent teleported herself into the walls of the castle and approached Zelda from behind, but the green glow the witch emitted gave her away to the princess.

Zelda turned around in a hurry. "Who are you?!" Zelda had a good guess who it was, though she had never seen her before.

Maleficent began to put Zelda in a trance and spoke in an endearing way that seemed like pure evil. "Surely you remember me—the one who promised to take your life." Zelda became passively compliant, though her conscience was painfully aware of what was happening to her. "I am the great sorceress Maleficent!"

The witch let out a black stream from her sceptre that turned into a surreal spinning wheel. The whole contraption leached dark magic and distorted in appearance spontaneously. Unable to control her own body, Zelda's feet autonomously walked over to her doom. She reached her hand out to touch a shiny projection of simulated metal, but something went wrong. Instead of making contact with the curse-maker as Maleficent had planned, Zelda's finger vibrated in place and moved no further. The princess was trying her best to use her own powers to stop the curse from being perpetrated.

"What?!"

Maleficent's outrage was severe. She had spent sixteen years prefecting her magic for that moment, yet things were still not going exactly as planned. She physically walked over to Zelda and grabbed her hand and roughly forced it down.

The prick immediately took effect: Zelda fell forward, the spinning wheel disintegrated, and the airspace over Castle Town filled with a murky green powder. As the princess lost consciousness, Maleficent left cackling without any signs remorse.

000

Navi and her friends, Tael and Tatl, entered the princess's bedroom.

"Oh, Zellldaaa! We came here to ask you–"

The called upon blonde was sprawled on the the floor looking quite dead. Tatl screamed like bloody murder and Navi fell to the floor.

"No! No, no, no! Oh, Hylia! Please NO!"

Tael rushed to the window. "The sky—look! What has happened to Hyrule?"

A smog with a green tint polluted the atmosphere.

Navi cursed. "It must be Maleficent's work! Din, I want to send that witch to her death!"

Navi and Tatl tried to lift Zelda up, but their physical strength was minuscule.

"Don't die! You can't die! You are our only hope!"

Tael was horrified by what was going on in the streets of Castle Town. The air was filled with some sort of green poison that was making everyone pass out.

"This can't be happening!"

People fell to the ground like dead bodies. Even the people within the castle and the many homes and shops around Castle Town were hit by Maleficent's fallout. The effects were so impossibly fast that the fairies had barely enough time to acknowledge the facts.

Tatl, usually the least dependable and most hysterical of the fairies, reminded them that all was not lost. "Sixteen years ago, Farore allowed me to alter the curse so that Zelda could be awakened. But I can feel...I know that we haven't much time."

Navi finally let go of Zelda's lifeless body. "And who is going to awaken her? Everyone in Castle Town is in need of help as well!"

Tael sounded like he were about to bawl. "Look." He pointed out the window.

With unnatural lightning surrounding her, Maleficent was standing in mid-air above the castle. Her arms were stretched out in front of her levitating the body of a man several hundred feet in the sky. It was Prince Phillip, the one that loved Zelda and could save her and Hyrule with a simple kiss. And now Maleficent was seizing him. The witch laughed along with her crow, the two being indistinguishable from one another.

Navi already had a plan. "Let's get Link! I doubt he was close enough to get affected by the chemical attack!"

A chemical attack? How did Navi get to that deduction so quickly? And why were the fairies not falling prey to the feral use of magic as well?

Tael did not really get the idea. "What's he going to do?"

Tatl did understand. "Link's the chosen Hero of the Goddess! Surely if he is considered good enough to defeat Ganon, he can take down Maleficent!"

Navi gathered the fairies together football style. "Right. Link will defeat Maleficent and free Phillip, and then Phillip will come here and awaken Zelda. The rest of the denizens of Hyrule should be revived upon Maleficent's curse being broken. Tael, you go find Link and tell him to get over here right this minute." He nodded and buzzed away. "Tatl, you stay here with Zelda and see if there is anything else to learn. I'm going after Maleficent."

Tatl pleaded, "Oh, you mustn't!"

"I have to! She has Phillip!"

Navi flew out the window and trailed behind the witch. Maleficent was skywalking back to her castle with plans to put Phillip in her dungeon. Navi followed her as closely as she could without jeopardizing her own safety.

Meanwhile, Tatl flew about the rooms of the castle and found everywhere the same grim scene: unconscious victims lying around after having inhaled the airborn powder. It looked like the aftermath of a terrible battle minus the blood. Whatever Maleficent had used to poison them with was certainly a powerful magic.

000

Maleficent walked through the front gate of her ominous abode and was greeted by her cheering Goons. She pointed to a body she had left outside her castle and told her minions to bring it in.

Phillip looked up to see four little monster-animals coming towards him. His vision blurred as they approached, but he could still hear their irritating voices. The smartest, a Goon somewhat like a bulldog Moblin recognized Phillip.

"Hey Slimy, looks like we got 'rselves a prince."

The crocodile one agreed with his raspy voice. "I suppose the mistress will want him sent to the dungeons. Poor fellow."

"Is he dead?"

"Nah, probably just winded from Maleficent's magic. Don't tell 'er, but I was watchin' and saw 'er unleash some sort'a plague on Hyrule. Maybe that got ta him."

"Enough talk, help me lift this guy. He's heavy as iron."

The four little monsters struggled to bring the young man in and repetitively scrapped his body on the ground. Phillip was thankfully a little numb and did not feel anything well. He witnessed his entrance into captivity as though he were half-awake. The Goons brought him to Maleficent's equivalent of a royal chamber and dumped him unceremoniously on the dirty floors.

The bulldog Goon asked out of routine, "Should we put him in a cell?"

Maleficent narrowed her eyes in wrath. "No. First, I must speak with him...alone."

The crocodile monster shrugged and walked out with his comrades; it did not mean anything to them. Phillip let out a moan and struggled to get his head off the ground and see exactly what his condition was. Having inhaled some of the toxin that was let loose on Hyrule, he felt awful. Maleficent deliberately sat nearby and said nothing while drinking her disgusting deep green tea—literally as green as grass.

Phillip grabbed his side where he had been injured superficially and asked, "What...is this all about?" He was feeling extremely dizzy and had a terrible headache.

The witch put her teacup down. "Get up, peasant."

Phillip frowned and instinctively reached for his sword, but he only felt an empty sheath and became angry.

"What is the meaning of this outrage?!"

Maleficent gave a wicked grin. "Since you seem to be so badly informed, I'll tell you: I am the great sorceress Maleficent, and we have recently returned from Hyrule Castle where I sent Zelda to her death and the people into a deep sleep. Once they awaken, their beloved princess will be dead." Phillip's mouth was hanging open and failed to form anything intelligent. "Oh, and you are probably wondering why I have kidnapped you?"

Phillip absolutely detested how Maleficent spoke as though it were gossip or something trivial.

"Humor me."

The prince was doing his best to think of a way to get out of the trap he was in and return to Hyrule, but his mind was blank as a chalkboard.

Maleficent continued, "Well, you see, it is like this: some moronic fairy messed up my curse so that Zelda would not die if she were awakened by true love's first kiss. Considering that you seem to have foolishly attached your heart to the princess, I am keeping you here to ensure my success."

Phillip finally got the energy to stand up; at that point, he knew perfectly well what was happening.

"You will not get away with this; in the end, evil never wins."

Phillip had to act fast if there was to be any hope of saving Zelda.

"Save your sermon for Sunday, Boy." Maleficent pulled a cord to signal her Goons to come back. "You're such a sorrowful representation of your kind."

Ironically Phillip was a human—nearly the same as Maleficent who was Hylian—only she had transformed herself with dark magic and could no longer be identified as something less ugly than a monster. Maleficent had rebelled against her race and was but an embarrassment to her kind. She never accepted the just punishment she had received more than twenty years earlier for shameless misconduct and the subsequent exile she was given when she refused to give up being a sorceress.

"I was wronged, and now I am getting my revenge. The elite of this world's kingdoms spread lies about magic and its supposedly evil effects, but look at what it has done for me!" She raised her sceptre and demonstrated all sorts of sorcery through images.

Phillip shook his head pitifully. "Yes, look at you: a guiltless lump of deformed flesh totally controlled by evil. You are no better than a demon. In fact, your willingness to transform yourself into something devilish makes you almost worse than one."

Phillip engaged in a verbal war to try to get Maleficent to do something rash, but she was not going to take any lip from him.

"Seize him."

When the Goons tried to grab hold of Phillip, he made a run for it. But alas, he soon found that Maleficent was not so easy to run from. She pointed her sceptre at him and sent an attack that shocked him like an electric current. The prince screamed in pain and fell to the floor defeated.

He mumbled an insult too quiet to the deaf sorceress. "...witch."

"Shut up." Maleficent told her Goons to take the prince away. "For now, you can wallow in the filth of my dungeon while I decide how I will execute you. This is your prize for being such an 'angelic' person. Enjoy your life while it lasts, so-called Prince." The witch laughed like a maniac, making Phillip ask himself how a person could be so consumed with evil.

The Goons, though pleasant in comparison to Maleficent, were still rough and goofy with their movements. Phillip suffered under their unrelenting grips. They led the bruised prince into the deep pit of Maleficent's dungeon. Though the dungeon itself was highly metallic, the stones that made up the foundation were rough to the touch and adorned with strange plantlike growths.

The jail's stink was filled with unmentionable things and, to Phillip's concern, blood. As the Goons pushed him to keep moving, he dared not look on his sides at the dark cells covered with rusty iron bars because apparently there were, or had been, other prisoners down there.

The Goons noisely opened up a lock and shoved Phillip into a rather large round area that lacked any accommodations whatsoever. The only place to sleep was the disgusting floor. Phillip was about to lean against the wall and sulk, but he noticed there were streaks of blood on the stones. He stood frozen in the middle of his cell and closed his eyes and desperately prayed for help. He tried not to vomit, at least not yet. He had had nightmares worse than the torturous cell, but his current situation far exceeded a bad dream; it was real.

"Hey."

Phillip heard a voice from the shadows of the adjacent cell.

"W–who's there?"

He really did not want to see what the other victim looked like.

"Another unfortunate soul."

A man emerged with no clothing, no significant body, no sense of life. Phillip looked at the living skeleton and felt something in his gut roll around. The man was so dirty and so skinny that the prince could see his patela bones popping out of his knees.

Phillip tried not to think too much and started meaningless conversation. "Why are you here?"

"Hmm...I'm just a fool that used to work for the wrong side until my deeds caught up to me, and when I tried to run away, that human monster upstairs got the best of me."

Phillip wondered how a person that looked as bad as that prisoner did could act so calmly.

The man went on, "Unlike you, I had this coming to me. My story is similar to that witch's. I messed around with magic on my body and then used the supernatural power for battle. My name's Volga."

He seemed like a normal man, not the fearsome beast of the legends of Hyrule Warriors.

"I am Prince Phillip of Castilla."

The man let out a puff of air. "That's bad. Maleficent hates royalty. She'll kill you in an unpleasant way." Volga was curt and did not care if he was rude.

Phillip gulped. "How long have you been living here?"

"I been here for the past six years, but not living. Time spent in this torture chamber is prolonged death, not life."

Volga had come to his limit. After years of abuse and near starvation, the former Dragon Knight was practically saying his last words to Phillip.

The two prisoners were interrupted by a voice coming from the tiny barred window that let light in.

"Prince Phillip!"

It was Navi.

"Great Scott! Is that a fairy?"

Volga had not seen a fairy since way before he was taken away from his own timeline by Maleficent's portal. He remembered fighting for a sorceress called Cia long ago and being defeated at the hands of another incarnation of Link that was accompanied by a fairy much like Navi. Volga hated fairies.

Phillip ran as close as possible toward the purple ball of light. "Navi! Thank goodness you found me! What has happened to Hyrule?! And what did Maleficent do to Zelda?!"

"It's a disaster! She successfully cursed Zelda and put the rest of Castle Town to sleep!"

Phillip cursed under his breath. "Then what she said is true: if we do not awaken Zelda soon, she will die!"

Navi entered the jail. "What?! I thought Tatl had altered the curse to save Zelda?"

Volga could not make any sense of all their weird talk, so he opted to stay quiet and try to decipher the fairy's squeaky voice.

The prince rubbed his chin in confusion. "Yes, Tatl did, but it seems if we do not awaken Zelda soon, she will die anyway."

Navi's orb bounced up and down. "Then it is a good thing that I am here! I told Tael to get Link so we can free you and save Zelda!"

Phillip realized right then that Link could save the day. He was supposedly in Kokiri a safe distance away from the attack. Why could Link not be the one to awaken Zelda?

The prince suggested that idea. "I doubt there is time for that, Navi. If Link was not affected by Maleficent, bring him to Zelda and have him awaken her!"

Navi objected. "But...he can't do that!"

Phillip was offended to hear that his dependable guardian could not do something. Phillip believed Link could do anything humanly possible and then some.

"And why not?!"

"Because! The curse can only be broken by true love's first kiss! Do you really think Link loves the princess?" Navi's face contorted in disgust.

Stupid fairies. Why had Tatl altered the curse to have such a strange cure?

Phillip raised an eyebrow. "I have only met her myself today. Do you think I really can safely say I love her yet either? After all, Link has known her longer than I, and he has a connection to her with the Triforce." Navi was still skeptical and somewhat disturbed by what Phillip was saying. "As the chosen Hero, he is her guardian and has a special devotion and attachment to her; maybe that can be described as some kind of love."

Navi could not accept such a thing. "This all sounds crazy to me."

How could Phillip so openly say that his guardian might love his own fiancé?

"Oh, Navi, it is worth a try! I know we are near Death Mountain, that means Hyrule Castle is in between here and the Kokiri Forest. If Link fails to awaken Zelda, bring him here as a last resort."

Navi gave in because she knew that losing Zelda was unthinkable. "All right. I will do my best. Pray for me and don't do anything to make Maleficent hurt you!"

The purple fairy took off in a hurry. Phillip heard someone coming, and he and Volga tried to look like they were doing nothing. Two Goons came down the creaky stairs and shoved two mishapened bowls into Volga and Phillip's cells. Phillip kicked the disgusting food aside, but Volga ate it like a madman.

After several awkward moments later, Phillip swallowed hard and tried to explain to Volga what all that stuff about Zelda meant. "About that fairy and my conversation with her—"

Volga put up a hand. "Save your breath. The last thing I want to hear about is more evil."

Volga was a changed man. No longer was he a haughty knight that could transform into a dragon and intimidate his enemies. No longer was he a bloodthirsty warmonger that helped evil ones. No longer was he a fan of a good duel or interested in harnessing magic. Volga was a bitter person, filled with regrets. He had wasted his whole life doing wrong, and now he was in an alien timeline paying for his past deeds, though be it in the hands of a being that was just as guilty of wrongdoings.

Phillip looked over at Volga, the prisoner he had strangely taken a liking to. By Din, that man looked almost as bad as a Gibdo! The skeletons and spiders around him did not make the scene any brighter. Phillip vaguely recalled reading a story of a past Hero fighting through a dungeon, and the memory made him shiver as he realized how real the tale seemed to him now with his dismal surroundings.

Phillip could only hope for Zelda's salvation and his own release, and Volga could only hope to persevere until his worthless life was finally over. Here were two people having a common fate but very different backgrounds.

Phillip asked the goddesses for help, "Nayru, Din, Hylia, and Farore, lend us your power in this our hour of need!"

000

Tael quickly found Link in the outskirts of Kokiri and told him the dire situation. Of course, Link assented to help, but the young Hero was still rather naïve and just winging it. With the skys of Hyrule Castle filled with the green plague that Maleficent had used to put the town to sleep, Link had to find a way to protect himself. By chance, luck, or the goddesses' guidance, a mask salesman met Link in Hyrule Field and sold him a gas mask.

When Link explained to the mask seller what had happened to Hyrule, he replied, "Sounds like you've met with a terrible fate, haven't you? Well, good luck. I hope you save Hyrule as I commonly have business there. Perhaps we will meet again some day." The traveler smiled with eyes that were narrow slits.

The "Happy Mask Salesman" as Tael had sarcastically called him, was rather creepy and possibly a fraud, but Link did not have time to verify the usefulness of the mask he purchased from him. Link had to hope that the weird, ignorant person was honest. Why would the goddesses let the Hero be taken advantage of at such an inopportune time?

"Come on, Link, we have to hurry!"

Tael took off flying and Link quickly shoved the agreed number of rupees to the mask salesman and followed the fairy. Link did not realize how terrible the situation was until he saw the evidence personally. As he approached the castle, the air filled with clouds and the welcoming blue sky turned into ominous purples, greys, and greens. Link thought it looked like the Dark Realm, which was odd considering he had never personally seen it.

000

Navi arrived at Hyrule Castle and found Tatl sitting next to the unconscious Zelda, whom she had someone managed to get onto her bed, probably by using a spell. Navi crashed through the window and fell to the floor panting.

She huffed in between words and asked, "Tatl...is Link...here...yet?"

"No! But something is wrong!"

Navi looked up. "What more can be wrong than what already is?"

Tatl pointed out the window. "Look!"

The sky was filled with purple, and perched up there in the direction of the Kokiri Forest stood the witch who was responsible for the mess Hyrule was in.

Navi felt like surrendering. "Oh, goddesses, no! Maleficent must have found out about our plan and is trying to stop Link!"

Even from miles away, the sorceress was clearly heard: "A forest of thorns shall be his tomb! Borne through the skies on a fog of doom! Now go with the curse, and serve me well! 'Round Hyrule's castle, CAST MY SPELL!"

The two fairies watched in horror as the witch shot down streaks of dark magic that formed into thorns, brush, and spikes that were too numerous for Link to traverse without clearing. All alone on the even landscape of Hyrule Field, Link was visible from long range and an easy target. He tried to ignore Maleficent and pushed on, cutting his way through the magical foliage onward toward the castle.

Still accompanying the Hero and shaking from fear, Tael warned him, "You know, Link, there is a fine line between courage and recklessness."

"Call it recklessness if you will; I too am afraid, but I don't seem to have a choice in the matter."

Link's revelation seemed counter to reality. Many people believed that the one who possessed the Triforce of Courage could not be afraid, but apparently they were very wrong.

As Link started gaining ground through the bewitched forest of thorns, Maleficent decided it was time for her to intervene. So be it if she had to use all her powers. She teleported directly in front of the Hero.

"Now shall you deal with me, O Knight, and all the powers of HELL!"

The world distorted into a mass of stormy magic and unnatural things. Maleficent's previously humanoid form shot up into the air and enveloped itself in purple, black, and green. Her signature head shape evolved into a dragon's head. That was Volga's fault.

Epona jeered and Link jumped off his horse and told Tael to take her away.

"But Link!" Tael was hesitant to leave Link alone against the monstrosity looming over them.

Link shouted uncharacteristically. "Just GO!"

The fairy obeyed, more out of fear of Maleficent than anything.

The green dragon, the augmented body of Maleficent, was the result of her own adjustments to the magic she had stolen from Volga so long ago. The dragon was not half as ugly as the witch, but it was twenty times Maleficent's usual size and scary enough to form goose bumps on Link's arms and send any sane Hylian running. Link felt a thick chill run down his spine and had to use every last speck of courage to stop himself from trying to get away.

He whispered low and pulled out his standard issue sword and shield. He uttered a quick prayer, "Oh, Hylia, please save me."

The fairies could only watch from afar. No one would have ever guessed that Maleficent had become such a powerful threat. Navi had to hold Tatl down to keep her from kicking around like an epileptic.

The dragon spewed out fire that was a sickening green but not too lethal. It pummeled Link with repetitive attacks that he blocked with his shield; unfortunately, he had not brought the much better shield he had found in the Tomb of Trials: the remake of the Hero of Time's shield. He had to deal with a standard knight's equipment. How was he going to fight magic with only the force of his own mortal body?

Link got lost in the maze of sorcery-created fauna. Hyrule Field seemed to be completely different, and Link found himself surrounded by burning thorns. He climbed a rock formation with spactacular ease to escape the fire, but only found himself stranded on a sharp ledge. As he tried to search for ground he could better maneuver on, the dragon spotted him and sent a blast of fiery fury. He was not ready for the blow and lost his shield in protecting himself from the flames. The dragon smacked its lips as the lunatic cackles of Maleficent could be heard from within the fearsome beast.

"Throw the sword, Link. Throw the sword, and I will guide it into the dragon's heart."

Link heard a voice that seemed to originate from his head. It was oddly famaliar. Link recognized it as one he had been hearing for millennia, as if that made any sense. Was it Hylia that was speaking to him?

Whatever the source, there was absolutely no questioning the voice's call to action. Link did as he was told without hesitancy and no time to doubt the debatably crazy advice. He leaned back and threw the sword high, ensuring it would not tumble but hit like a spear. Time seemed to slow down, and the sword was embossed in a glowing light as it traveled directly to the dragon's upper body. Maleficent had no time to respond and the sword hit true; the heart of the dragon was severed and Maleficent was killed in her somewhat vulnerable state. The dragon writhed and threw its body about until it fell to the ground, nearly crushing Link.

The Hero was thrown several feet away, but he sustained no bodily damage. He got up and dusted himself off and observed that Hyrule Field was no longer plagued by thorns and airborne poison. He looked further away and lo, on a rock, his sword was imbedded into a black stain that was the only remnance of the sorceress Maleficent, the Dragon.

The battle had lasted less than ten minutes, and his enemy had been defeated by one well-aimed blow with a simple sword. Was being the Hero that easy? Link was sure that the stress had taken a year off his life.

"Linnnk!"

The fairies come flying toward him, and the Hero laughed to try to relieve his bottled-up stress. The three fairies grabbed a hold of his body and hugged him and bounced about.

Tatl praised him. "Link! You did it! You killed Maleficent!"

Navi knew that their job was not done. "Now we must hurry to the castle and awaken Zelda!"

Link quickly set his face into a stoic expression. It was sad how he felt that he should not show emotion. Those times when he did manage a smile or even a frown revealed that he was an ordinary Hylian in many ways. His brief moment of happiness was deadened by the reminder of Zelda's peril.

The four of them (Link, Navi, Tael, and Tatl) hurried back to Castle Town. Though the green poison that had filled the air was gone upon Maleficent's death, the people were still in a deep sleep.

Tael gulped. "I hope that they will awaken with Zelda."

Link followed Navi through the town and then the puzzling catacombs (the front gate to the castle was closed requiring a secondary entrace) as he made his way to Zelda in silence. The trail through the enormous castle was littered with the bodies of people in stupor. Oh, how many lives depended on that silly boy Link! The fairies and he all entered into Zelda's room, but Link only gave a questioning stare. What did he need to do now?

Tael and Tatl decided to leave to avoid the awkwardness as Navi tried to explain.

"Link, the cure to the curse is very specific." He nodded too seriously for Navi's liking. "In order to awaken Zelda, you must...kiss her."

Link stared at Navi with his mouth hanging open, apparently waited for her to stop joking at such a serious moment. He could swear that those fairies were the most annoying bunch of scatter-brains in Hyrule.

Navi went on, "Link, this has to be...passionate, like true love's first kiss."

No. Absolutely not. He could take being the Hero. He could take fighting monsters. He could take personal loss and suffering, but Link could not kiss a princess on a whim. Never.

The purple fairy pleaded, "Link, please do it. We might not have much time."

Link realized that Navi was not showing any signs of deceit. He turned his gaze to the sleeping princess and blushed. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Zelda was his responsibillity to protect; Impa had told him that many years ago. She was the reincartion of Hylia. He would do anything for her, even if he had to embarrass himself.

He nodded and gave Navi the hint to leave him alone. She complied and flew out of the bedroom and waited for what she hoped would be success. Link then sighed heavily and walked over to Zelda. He let his mind go blank, only thinking about his devotion to the princess and duty. He pursed his lips, closed his eyes, and leaned low into her until his lips sealed hers.

Farore did the rest.

He released after a few seconds and opened his eyes. Shortly thereafter, the princess started to move, her mind returning to a conscious state. She blinked twice and stared at the Hero who was as red as an apple; he knew that she probably realized what he had done to awaken her. Zelda managed a smile, and for but a brief second Link smiled also, but then he remembered that his job was still not over.

Phillip was locked away in a dungeon in the wastelands!

He turned around to leave, but the princess stopped him.

"Did you...throw the sword?" Her voice was so sweet—so shy.

The Hero nodded, not taking the time to think about what her words meant. How did she...?

Link brushed past Navi with a nod and pretended he had to go find weapon replacements for those he had lost. As Link made his hurried exit to go save Phillip, the town started to stir. All the worrying over Maleficent was ended with one lucky sword toss and a kiss to boot. It was crazy how much distress the witch had caused only for her life to be ended so decisively.

After seeing that the city was safe and that Link was leaving on Epona, the fairies immediately went to Zelda and tried to tell her and the awakening royal family what had happened, but Zelda's thoughts were elsewhere.

She whispered to herself barely audibly, "True love's first kiss..."

*End of Part 1: Zelda's Awakening*

000

Author's Notes:

This chapter was greatly inspired by the movie. Though this Sleeping Beauty readaption that I took many liberties with is over, the story as a whole is far from done. We aren't even halfway through. I hope you have enjoyed this twist that incorporated much introduction and several hints at future events. Get ready for Part 2: The Return of Ganon.

The name "Zelda's Awakening" was originally picked for it's similarity to my first Zelda game: Link's Awakening. Also, it fits perfectly for a Zelda/Sleeping Beauty story. I have become aware that this name is also used in Breath of the Wild for a very different meaning, but I hope it is obvious that this is not a BotW story.

Thanks to everybody for following this novel! I hope you have enjoyed part one and are excited to read the parts of this story that aren't based on Maleficent. There are many loose ends that need to be tied and subplots to explore. Please join me for the rest of this epic adventure! 


	17. Level 2: Castle of the Wastelands

Part 2: The Return of Ganon

Chapter 17: Level 2: Castle of the Wastelands

Maleficent was gone, defeated, and dead, but Hyrule's problems were not over yet. Oh, no, Maleficent was the least of the many worries Link had. There were much more powerful enemies that had not yet come to surface. The words of the Great Deku Tree echoed through the forest as a reminder of the terrible fate Link had: "...ye will always find that your last battle is dreadfully far away." A Great Evil was coming, no doubt about that, and it was Zelda and Link's duty to stop it. Killing that witch had been relatively easy, but a threat like Ganon (or Vaati or whatever) would require serious resistance.

There was a prophecy that the next major confrontation between Ganon and Hylia's Chosen Ones would be fought largely by muscle and manpower, not so much by magic. Luckily, Hyrule already had a strong army aided by Zora, Gerudo, and Goron volunteer regiments as well as the support of Castilla's army. Fierce fighting between Hyrulean loyalists and monsters had produced many veteran warriors like Link and given irreplaceable experience to the otherwise peaceful soldiers. Hyrule was prepared for waging war if that is what the enemy's plan was.

After awakening Zelda, Link rushed away to go find Phillip. Encouraged to leave hastily to avoid any embarrassment or appraise, Link had not considered the obvious: where was the prince? All alone on top of his loyal horse Epona in Hyrule Field, the hapless young knight could not begin to think of where to find the man he had sworn to protect. Hyrule was a huge conglomeration of many climates, regions, and inhabitants.

"Linnnnnk!"

A purple orb came into view from the direction of Castle Town. It was Navi. She could lead Link to where Maleficent had taken Prince Phillip. Maybe fairies were not useless after all? Nah, they were mostly useless but sometimes helpful and always annoying.

The two embraced, quite awkwardly since Link was at least one hundred times as large as Navi. They enchanged cordial words and sighs of relief then returned to the present crisis. Navi hovered in front of Link, the boy she planned to help for the rest of his life.

"The king and queen send their gratitude, but Hubert is worried about Phillip. We must go free him, and then come back to the castle; that will make everybody believe me."

"Believe you?"

Navi pouted. "Aside from the royalty, most in the castle mocked my story of how you defeated Maleficent. They were all asleep during the battle so you must forgive them."

Link nodded but did not know how was he going to tell her that he had no idea where to find Phillip.

The fairy bobbed up and down. "So...what are you waiting for?"

Link struggled to get out the words. "Where is...Ma—Maleficent's hideout?"

"Oh, right! You weren't there when I found Phillip." Navi giggled and squeaked making Link get impatient. "She has a terrible old castle not far from Death Mountain. You know, the Wastelands."

Ah, yes. Link had heard of the those infamous lands that bordered Castilla and the Goron lands. The region was indeed useless—an arid landscape of rocks and plateaus and buttes and desertlike debris, perhaps some quicksand. Only lizards could survive out in that hostile climate, and according to legend, the Wastelands were haunted. Considering that Maleficent once lived there, that idea was probably not entirely made up.

"Let's go," Navi interjected. "We have a lot of land to cover and a possible fight up ahead. You might want to have your sword ready."

"What?" Were there monsters near Death Mountain? Link had to ask. "Why would there be a fight?"

"Because! Maleficent's Goons have Phillip!"

Link was given no time to ask any more questions since Navi flew away as fast as she could. He pressed Epona to get into a trot and follow. He desperately hoped that the prince was okay. "Goon" did not sound like a good word for a person holding one hostage.

As the boy and fairy made their way to Death Mountain, Link was awed by the power of the dormant volcano. Again, aside from those years he had lost from time travel, Link had never been to the Goron's homeland. As Epona charged on, a robust Goron waved to the passing knight and his fairy accomplice. He was huge and slightly discolored, not like a typical Goron. Link had no idea why, but for some odd reason the name Darbus flashed in his mind. He shook away the inkling with a shiver and let the immense beauty of the mountains enthrall him and keep his mind busy. That area was like nothing he knew.

The Gorons were perhaps the strangest race in Hyrule. Their principal food was rocks, hence the reason they dwelled near it in its molten form. Their bodies had armor as strong as a knight's that could withstand extreme temperatures and hard blows. Their round shape allowed them to roll quickly and violently. Unlike Gerudo, humans, and Hylians, Gorons could not reproduce with the other races. One would never hear of a Goron marrying a Zora. The Gorons were a simple people that had deep ties to tribal roots. Largely due to their leaders' attitudes, Gorons were usually stereotyped as friendly but rough and conceited.

Bypassing the larger Goron towns, Navi led Link around Death Mountain to the Wastelands beyond. They passed the end of Hyrulean civilization and the boundary separating some obscure kingdom from the Gorons. It was practically no-mans land.

The temperature had already risen from the volcano's proximity, but because the Wastelands had the climate of a desert (dry heat during the day and windy chills at night), the condition was worsened the deeper they ventured. Link took off his tailed hat and wiped the sweat off his brows. It was not going to be fun.

Link unmounted Epona and sent her on her away to avoid exhaustion. It was better to go into the unknown alone than risk a good horse's life. Link pressed on through the hostile environment timdly and was a little intrigued. With a purple fairy over his head, he looked rather harmless and probably would not garner any attention.

"Halt!"

Or maybe not.

The young knight was surrounded by six little thugs with weapons: Maleficent's Goons. They were recogziable as a condor, a crocodile, a wild boar, a—good riddance! Those monsters were like common animals! They seemed to be unreceptive, but not necessarily malignant. Because Link was tresspassing their land though, they treated him as an enemy.

Putting on his haughty knight facade, Link commanded the Goons, "I have come here to fetch Phillip. If ye value your lives, release him at once."

The little bad guys responded by closing the ring around the overconfident Hero. Navi clinged to Link's collar. Too lazy to fight, Link continued his arrogant game.

"Disperse ye villains."

"Get 'em boys."

Link had learned from his fight with Maleficent and brought his good shield with him—his replica of the Hero of Time's shield that he found in the Tomb of Trials. Unfortunately, he had to endure with an easily-breakable sword that that he had borrowed from Hyrule's armory. Having learned that he was the destined Hero, Link desired to feel the perfect blade of evil's bane instead.

Link let the Goons get closer first, and then he opened up with his deadly spin attack. All six of the idiots fell to the ground, but to Link's disgust, they did not "poof" away as monsters usually did. Instead, they fell to the ground in a bloody mess. Link was not ready for that since in the past he had only fought monsters that left no trace of their existence upon being killed. The famaliar feeling of a queasy stomach threatened Link's abilities.

His mind battled his body: "No. Get rid of that feeling. Put it away. It's just a dead animal. You do not feel ANYTHING...ever. You have no feelings." Link took in a deep breath. "There, that's better."

Navi looked at Link suspiciously, but his eyes did not reveal his inward struggle. He composed himself and pressed on through the puzzle of a rock-covered desert without another word. There were enormous boulders of all sizes and tall hoodoos that had been carved out centuries ago when the Wastelands were flooded.

Peaking around a corner, Link spotted several Goon-sentries patrolling the area. Using the quiet sand to his advantage, he closed in on them like a stealth bomber. Quickly finishing off the couple of Goons that were hiding, Link stood in his ready stance and searched around for any more clues.

He questioned Navi without making eye contact, "Which way to Maleficent's Castle?"

Navi loved it how Link's voice became so deep and his words so rough when he was fighting.

"This way! There shouldn't be much more resistance outside of her domain!"

That was good. Link could do with fewer Goons.

Navi stopped him in his tracks. "What's that!?"

Link only mouthed one word: "Stalchildren."

It was getting dreadfully dark, and the small abominations were coming out to turn the battle into a free-for-all. Link charged forward and knocked the heads off some of the clueless skeletons, but he had to jump out of their way just as fast to avoid the numberless foes.

"Link, we don't have time for these guys! Outrun them!"

Link nodded and darted away from the Stalchildren as they followed slowly.

It was at this moment that Link saw it—Maleficent's former home. It was a wretched old thing, gloomy and scary, yet brittle. The menacing structure was surely the cause for the Wastelands being haunted. Where was the entrance? Far atop the towering rocks, the castle was inaccessible to outsiders that could not teleport...or...was it? Link swung a peculiar tool that had groved teeth.

Navi flew out of the way of the sharp edges. "What's that?"

Link tossed the toothed object above him onto the rocks and answered, "A grappling hook."

A second later he jumped up and started pulling himself upward. He then walked vertically up the layers of limestone rock as though it were enjoyable. Link loved the feeling of adventure and the thrills of mindlessly blasting forward. Once he reached the top of the cliff, he unhinged his hook and took the next climb. Unfortunately, that caused some upheaval when more Goon-sentries guarding the castle spotted his tool.

Link cursed. The image of reaching the top only to get his head crushed by a waiting ax was enough to stop Link from climbing any further. Navi was quick to act though.

"I'll go up and distract them! Once you reach the top, you will be invincible against these fools."

Link nodded for what must have been the seventy-third time that day.

The purple glow of the fairy piqued the interest of the Goons:

"Hey, Slimy! Look at that!"

The gator croaked, "Well eat me Maleficent! That's a fiary!"

"A fairy? Where?"

"Fellas, what's going on?"

"Dont'cha see it? Over there!"

"What?!"

"There he goes!"

"Where, where?"

"Uh, duh...what?"

"Shut up, Dopey; you're spoilin' it; we're witnessing a thing from the gods."

Navi flew around and about, over and above, under and below the Goons' feet and arms and avoided their grasping little claws. She almost felt sorry for them.

"Stupid, stupid—all of them stupid," she said to herself.

Another Goon appeared with some bad news:

"Hey, uh...guys. A couple of our patrols went missing. I have come to the deduction that—"

"No, no, no. Not deduction, you mean seduction."

If 1 was brainless and 100 genious, the Goons probably had an intelligence rating around 7.012.

"Oh, right," the first Goon "corrected" himself, "I have come to the seduction that someone attacked them."

"What?! Someone attacked US?"

"Who's that?!" The condor bird-Goon pointed at Link who had just reached the top of the mesa.

Navi flew over to Link. "They are so stupid."

Link again tried to do it the easy way. "Surrender Phillip or face the consequences."

There was a murmur between the Goons until a thick boar-Goon came up to Link with a sword and shield and appeared to want a duel. Link found the easy fight irresistible, so why resist?

"If Dopey don't beat dat guy, we will git 'em," said the condor.

The Goons sent their "best" fighter to take Link on all alone for glory. The boar-Goon stood his ground and stared at Link with his defiant jaw sticking out. Navi urged Link to make the most of the opportunity.

"Beat him soundly, and maybe the rest will give up."

Link lost no time and charged at the little porker with all his might. The Goon tried to stop the blow of Link's sword with its shield but fell backward. Link let the Goon get up and put his hands on his hips to mock it.

"Ready to give up?"

Was the Hero getting snobbish?

The Goon responded by snorting and shouting a war cry. Being half as tall as the young Hero, the Goons were at an obvious disadvantage. The boar tried to stab Link with its sword, but the knight easily shielded his body from the stubby weapon. The two of them circled and clashed with loud scrapes.

Once Link became bored, he mercilously pushed to Goon off its feet and threw it flying down the steep cliffs surrounding Maleficent's former castle. The Goon cried out with a deep, animal-like shriek until it hit the bottom of the rock structure. The noisy thud of the dead animal brought silence to the Goons. Link had savagely sent their most-respected brother to his death. Navi was a bit taken aback herself. Link had a satisfied smile on his face that did not seem appropriate for having killed a poor animal in a cruel way.

On impulse, the Goons scurried in retreat and rushed into the castle. Link quickly changed his demeanor and ran after them with Navi close behind. The Goons staggered and fell on top of each other attempting to lower a drawbridge over the small mote, but Link eliminated their chance of closing him out by cutting the ropes used to lift the wooden bridge. He then entered the castle and attacked anything that moved. Goons fell to the floor injured, rooms collapsed, and Maleficent's antique pottery collection was smashed to pieces in the chaos of the fight. Her odd throne room with all its strange elevations and pool of water was completely ruined.

Link yelled as he swished his sword at a couple Goons hiding behind some curtains, "Where is Phillip, Navi?"

"I don't know!"

"I thought you said you found him here?"

"I did! But I entered the dungeons from a window, not the front entrance!"

A dungeon? That meant Phillip was somewhere below him. Link spotted a hole in the ground and jumped in without thinking of the consequences.

"Link!"

Navi looked down the bleak entrance to the jail and whispered a prayer before following the knight diving headfirst into danger. Link tumbled through the collapsing ruin until he hit hard on the stairs of the dungeon. Navi lost control of her airborne figure and fell to the ground as well with a plop. She felt dizzy afterward and considered herself somewhat crazy to be following a guy like Link without good precautionary measures. Link picked up his sword and scooped her into his hands.

"You okay?"

"Yeah...never better."

Link was not in the mood for her sarcasm and gave no retort.

"Anyway, I recognize this place; Phillip must be in one of the nearby cells."

000

"What the devil is going on?"

Volga looked up at the ceiling whose stones were shaking and dropping debris. Phillip observed the phonomena that his cell-neighbor pointed out.

"Sounds like we're being attacked. I hope these rusted bars hold out."

The Goons were accidentally destroying the fragile castle in their panic.

"Let's hope our new captives will provide us better provisions."

Volga, who was always pessimistic and violent, suspected that Maleficent was being overrun by another evil. Because Maleficent was dead and Link a liberator, both his assumptions were wrong.

Phillip had a different point of view. "I hope Hyrule is safe...and Zelda...and Link."

"Someone's coming!" The silhouette of Volga's nearly skeleton figure became tense.

The green knight and Navi descended into the deepest pit in the dungeons and appeared outside the cells.

Phillip breathed with relief. "Link!"

Navi zoomed into Phillip's cell. "Prince! Oh, thank Hylia, you are all right!"

Link quickly searched for the key to the lock. It was easy enough to find hanging by the entrance of the jail.

Navi burst with excitement. "Link did it! He killed Maleficent and awakened Zelda!"

Phillip praised him, "Well done, Link! So you really are a hero!"

The cell popped open with a clank and Phillip stepped out feeling relieved and fully appreciating the freedom of movement.

Volga, whom everyone had been ignoring, spoke up. "Well, well, well. Looks like a happy ending for all of you."

Volga was jealous. He wanted the peace of mind Phillip had, but he did not want to work for it. Volga wanted the end but not the means because he liked being bad, though he knew that evil works did little for him.

"Link, let him out," Phillip ordered.

The green boy did as he was told while Navi watched disapprovingly as the dragon knight stepped out of his six-year imprisonment. Phillip did not want to leave that place with people dying in captivity.

"Volga, is anyone else being held down here?"

"I know there HAVE been many. If they are still alive..." The man shrugged and made an arrogant pout.

Phillip pulled the key out of the lock. "Link, let's go search for any other survivors."

Navi observed a rotting corpse in a cell and decided she would rather leave Phillip and Link then witness such horrors.

"I'll, uh...stay here." Navi tried to find a place to sit but opted to keep hovering after she sighted the filth.

"Volga, are you coming with us?" Phillip asked.

The former Dragon Knight grabbed a sword one of the Goons had dropped. "I'd rather spend my last moments in battle."

Before anyone could argue, Volga was ascending the stairs and heading for the Goons. Link was slightly alarmed and put his hand on the hilt, but Phillip stopped him from chasing the madman.

"Hmph!" Navi knew she did not like Volga when she first found him talking with Phillip. If he wasn't going to help, she would.

Phillip and Link searched the deserted cells for any living souls but only found skeletons. Aside from the disturbing and saddening tones of the jail, it was also just outright disgusting.

"Prince! Link! Come here!" Navi shouted from a portion of the dungeon that was under a couple of inches of water.

The two came splashing in and found Navi with a young man in blue in a particularly dirty cell. Link quickly unlocked the metal door and let the poor fellow out. Navi comforted the prisoner who was still very much a boy.

"Take it easy; everything is going to be fine."

Link let the boy lean his arms on himself and walked him out of the cell.

Phillip questioned, "What is your name?"

"Ralph, servant of Nayru," was his weak answer.

He nearly collapsed, but Link held him securely.

"We must release Nayru...and all the others," Ralph insisted.

Nayru? That was a goddess's name. Maybe the boy was a little out of it.

Phillip lead the way. "Come on, Ralph, we got to get out of here."

"No!" Ralph was not moving an inch without Nayru. He pointed to their right, deeper in the dungeon. "We must get everybody out of here before the self-distruct mechanism starts."

Phillip, Navi, and Link looked at each other and silently agreed to follow Ralph even though he might be a little crazy. Phillip took the initiative.

"All right, I guess we have little to lose. Navi, you light the way. Link, unsheath your sword."

Despite Navi's protests, the four of them went deeper into the filth of the blood-curdling dungeon. Ralph seemed to have a sense of direction that they relied on. After carefully sharing Link's hookshot to get safely up an incline, they came to a wooden door that opened easily. Navi rushed ahead.

"What in the world..."

The boys followed in silence. The new place was clean and organized and bright with light. Down the narrow aisle were well-maintained cells with a copper plate on each door inscribed with their ocupants' names, and inside were people. It was like a zoo—all kinds of people. The prisoners all stared at the bizarre procession of the prince, a knight, a boy, and a fairy.

"Ralph!"

From a cell with the words "Nayru, Oracle of Ages" printed on it, a beautiful girl with blue hair called out. Link got straight to work and began unlocking all the cells one at a time. Nayru and Ralph embraced and everyone gave passionate hugs of thanks to their saviors Phillip and Link. Navi read the inscribed signs on the cells as Link released the imprisoned:

"Din, Oracle of Seasons. Kass, bird from the future. Lana, the White Sorceress. Prince Ralis of the Zoras. Yuga, Painting Sorcerer. Maple, Broom Witch. Cia, Black Sorceress. Spryte, fairy. Sahasrahla, Sage."

"Sahasrahla?!" Phillip ran over and shook the old man's hand heartily. "Nobody has seen you since you disappeared three years ago!"

The old man chuckled and did not seem to be as angry as would be expected. "I have been fruitful these past years studying and writing about the magical abilities of everyone here."

A large cluster of around thirty people assembled in the center of the room rejoicing. Maleficent had gone high and low through Hyrule to capture the astounding group of individuals. She had also retrieved a few of them via time travel.

Sahasrahla went on, "It seems that old witch Maleficent is just as interested in research as I. She kidnapped everybody here to study them and their powers."

Link rudely corrected, "You mean Maleficent 'was.'"

"What?" Sahasrahla asked in confusion.

Phillip explained, "Link defeated Maleficent."

Sahasrahla did a double take. "Link? Defeated? Oh, oh, yes, Link, the Hero. Slipped my mind for a second."

Lana, one of the released prisoners heard their conversation. "Maleficent is defeated? That means our powers have been restored!"

Yuga lit up with happiness. "Really?! I can finally capture my noble profile on frame again?!"

Navi was chatting it up with the fairy named Spryte while a fortune teller gazed through his ball into the future. Lights flashed as people transformed and tested their magic tricks that they had been denied usage for so long. As Maple zipped past Link on a broomstick, he felt like he was having a nightmare. He hated magic. That jail was so bizarre and filled with the oddest sorts of people.

A Goron tossed a ball of magic in the air and shouted down the hall, "Yo! Lineback! Catch!"

The stunned man at the other end received the ball of light and disappeared to warp someplace else. All the sorcerers and magic users were laughing and giggling while the scholars conversed. Phillip and Sahasrahla were deep in conversation about Maleficent's strange obsession keeping people for pets, but Link could not take it any longer.

"STOP!"

The whole room went silent and a shield that someone was levitating fell to the ground with a noisy twirl and crash. Everyone was frozen stiff except the flying fairies. Link calmly walked over to the shield that was dropped—HIS authentic Hylian shield—and returned it to where it belonged on his back. Link sighed and prepared himself for saying more than one sentence without stopping.

"We need to get out of here right now—every last one of you! This castle might collapse any minute."

Cia was bold enough to speak up. "Let's teleport!"

Tingle, the fairy man, jumped up and down. "Oh, yes, please!"

"Everyone gather around!"

All the sorcerers agreed upon a definite destination: Hyrule Field.

"With our combined powers, we can do it," one shouted.

They then formed a giant circle for all to stand in. Phillip and Sahasrahla stepped into the teleportation ring, but the old man seemed uncertain if Link was willing to join them.

He meekly asked, "Coming Link?"

Navi was hesitant at first to enter without Link, but she went ahead when her new friend Spryte did.

One of the weird people in the crowd nudged him on. "Come on, boy in green, or we go without you and yer blood be on yer own 'ead!"

Link sighed in defeat and joined the prince and all the mental cases in their mad scheme. It was going to be one heck of an expedition to report back on.

The sorcerers prepared themselves. "Ready now! One, Two, Three, Hyrule Field, here we come!"

The magicians' powers exploded as they teleported several tons of weight many miles away. Link felt tremendous air pressure on his ears and grimiced in pain. How did those people teleport without getting nauseated?

Volga, who had been fighting with the Goons in the castle, met his end when the floor over his head crushed him like an insect. The few Goons that did escape either perished in the desert or were killed by Stalchildren. The castle of the Wastelands slowly crumbled into the ground below and became part of the many heaps of rocks that dotted the region. With its destruction, the last of Maleficent's physical influence was gone.

The great troop landed roughly on the green farmers' fields around Hyrule. Everyone fell to the ground and several got bruised. Link stood up and uncrossed his eyes and spit on the ground. He was not the only one that did not enjoy the thrill of teleportation.

The Black Sorceress Cia had damaged her mask and complained to one of her colleagues. "Ug, that was not so good, Veran."

A little witch was not happy either. "I broke my broom! Now I won't be able to fly for weeks. Grandma Syrup is going to give it to me good."

"Off to home for me!" Prince Ralis eagerly shook Link's and Phillip's hands. "The Zoras will hear of your noble work freeing me!"

Everyone was talking or leaving or doing more stunts. Tingle took to the air in his balloon and got right back to work with his cartography. Two sharp young men exchanged some words.

"Osfala,"

"Shad?"

"Meet me at Telma's tonight. We have one heaping pile of notes to write."

"Right. Tell Ashei we're safe, okay?"

The two scholars parted ways.

Phillip did not know how to introduce himself to all the people that seemed so busy. He thought it was best to leave. "Well, I guess we should return to the castle? Let everyone know I am fine?"

Sahasrahla agreed, and Link was willing to do anything to leave those magic-freaks, but Navi was still chatting with her new friend.

"But Spryte, you must promise to come visit me at the castle tonight so I can introduce you to Tael and Tatl!"

"Fine, Navi. I'll make time for it."

"You better!"

Link raised an eyebrow and tried to get Navi's attention. "Ahem."

"Link?" She looked back.

"Navi, the prince wants to leave now."

Link was annoyed—really annoyed. Another darn fairy friend—just his luck today—and what a day! He beat Maleficent like it was nothing, kissed a princess, rumbled with some Goons, and then finally released an army from a nuthouse. Why'd he ever listen to that Deku Tree? He could have been in the Kokiri Forest right then lazing around in Saria's house.

Sahasrahla, who was a little slow to normal things, made a cheeky comment without meaning to. "Having fun today, Link?"

Oh, yeah, lots and lots of fun.

"Sure..."

No one suspected that Link was lying.

"Splendid! I am sure Hyrule will want to hear all about it. And I also!" Sahasrahla picked up his pile of books he brought.

That surely sounded like "lots of fun" to Link.

000 


	18. Return to Normalcy

Chapter 18: "Return to Normalcy"

Upon Phillip's safe return, Hyrule assembled the government together for a meeting. Phillip, Sahasrahla, and the fairies tried to explain everything that had happened from the moment Zelda was cursed to their escape from Maleficent's castle along with all the others that were incarcerated there. The elite of Hyrule were gathered together to assess the situation, repair the damage Maleficent had done, and then send those belonging to Castilla back on their merry way home.

Because of their unconscious state during the battle with Maleficent, the people doubted the fairies' stories about Link defeating the mighty dragon. They were unaware that he was the Hero and did not think he qualified as much more than a surprisingly young knight (most boys were squires at Link's age). Link did not mind because he never liked attention.

The king of Hyrule himself was having a hard time believing such crazy tales. Even though Link's most recent adventure in the Wastelands had been accurately described by Phillip's languid speech, the tale of utterly idiotic Goons, collapsing dungeons, and those thirty crazy individuals who helped the prince escape with teleportation all seemed dreamlike.

"Now let me see if I understand correctly," Harkinian adjusted in his seat, "Maleficent has been holding a contingent of magicians, sorcerers, political figures, and scholars for more than two years simply for her own interest?"

Sahasrahla stuck out his chin. "Er...yes."

Hubert verbalized that he was not pleased. "And Link released all these potentially dangerous people without a second thought? What if they intend to use their abilities to seize power as Maleficent tried?"

Link stammered and mouthed some gibberish. There were far too many people looking at him.

Phillip tried to assume responsibility. "Father, it was I who told Link to unlock the cell next to mine and release Volga. I must admit that this person and perhaps the others did not have a clean background."

Navi chimed in as well, "Yeah, and Ralph was the one who told us to help the others."

Link chastised Navi with a frown for butting in. Fairies were to be seen but not heard.

"Ralph?" Harkinian was at a total loss with all the names Sahasrahla and Phillip were throwing at him, "Who is that?"

Sahasrahla answered, "A young man that serves as a guardian to the Oracle Nayru."

Queen Leah realized that the old man probably knew more about those people than anyone else and said, "Since Sahasrahla has been living in captivity among these gifted people for so long, is he not the best authority on whether or not they mean any harm?"

The two kings agreed and Zelda seemed interested, but while everyone waited for Sahasrahla to speak, he just smiled and said nothing. The old man was kind of oblivious when it came to "normal" things like taking a hint, but his intelligence and knowledge far outweighed his faults, even if he was terribly awkward and did not understand what the royal court wanted. Renado cleared his throat and the secretaries gave side glances at one another, but Sahasrahla did not know to what they wanted from him.

Hubert tried to appease Harkinian's impatience by directly asking his Castillian friend to speak freely. "Er, perhaps you would like to explain what you know about these people, Sahasrahla?"

"Oh! Certainly!" Sahasrahla awoke from his daydreaming. "A very well-informed group were they—made great company. I rathered enjoyed being Maleficent's prisoner as long as I could study and converse with those adventurers. I spent a whole month recording obsevations about a unique being who went under the name Skull Kid—rather pesky little creature. He had quite the fetish with masks. Oh! And then there were two fine young men, Osfala and Shad by name," the old man was getting rather long-winded, "that shared much ancient history and current science and politics with me. Osfala reminded me of myself when I was young while Shad was a little more sly and dainty. Then there was this astounding bird-man—called himself Kass and played a mesmerizing instrument with great fidelity. What was most amazing was that Maleficent stole him out of the future! Can you believe it? I wish I could understand how she did such a thing. The stories Kass told me were simply baffling! Calamities! Monstrous machines! Methods of warfare totally unthinkable! He even claimed to be a descendent of the Rito race from the legends. If he indeed comes from the future, I must say that Hyrule has an unbelievable path ahead of it."

What kind of nonsense was Sahasrahla spewing out? Harkinian was NOT going to listen to the description of all those people's crazy biographies.

Rauru intervened to avoid wasting everyone's precious time. "It would suffice if you would tell us about only those who might be a problem in the present."

Navi again interrupted, "Oh, but there is one more important one! Prince Ralis, who was been missing from the Zoras, was among the people we freed! He is heading back to his people on foot."

Leah looked up. "Ralis? The last I heard from Princess Lulu was that the Zoras had given up on finding him. This is indeed good news that I must share with our aquatic friends. Impa, send someone to find him." The Sheikah warrior nodded and stepped out.

Harkinian did not care. "Yes, and getting back to the others. Were there any sorcerers that we might to need to worry about?"

Sahasrahla gave himself liberal time to consider. "Well, there was this woman named Cia. She was from the past."—more stupid time-travel—"She and her 'good' half Lana are among the most powerful sorcerers I have ever personally observed. Unfortunately, their methods and motives do not seem to always be entirely good. Then there was Veran, Yuga, Onox, and Vaati—they all had their own peculiar magic tricks that did not seem to have any useful application for good."

Hubert gave his son Phillip a cold, hard stare. Those were the kinds of people he had worked with?

Sahasrahla continued, "Then we have the Oracles Din and Nayru whose names alone might seem blasphemous. They ardently declared that they respectively protect the seasons and time from any attempts of outside corruption. I should note that the wide-spread use of time-travel refutes their claims."

Link shifted in his seat. Time-travel was something he was very guilty of. He wished he could erase that one thing he regretted doing—well, the one BIG regret in his life. Embracing the life of the Hero probably came in for a close second. Judging by the way Zelda appeared uncomfortable every time their eyes met, awakening her with a kiss was probably another fatal mistake.

The army commander Gaepora took a slightly optimistic approach. "So it seems that these people are probably harmless but plausible threats nonetheless."

Harkinian frowned so deeply that his bushy eyebrows covered the tops of his eyelids. He was not happy about Link and Phillip's actions at all.

Sahasrahla still did not cease being unrequitedly jovial and giddy and tried to assure Harkinian everything would be all right. "I never observed them in freedom so I cannot say for sure. However, I AM sure many of these people will show up sooner or later. I have some clues as to where we might find them too. Actually, Navi invited one of them to come here tonight, a fairy by the name of Spryte, if I recall correctly. I doubt that we will ever get into any misunderstanding with the sorcerers I mentioned unless one of them becomes obsessed with power. An importtant fact in your favor is that I have written all there is to know about the these intellectuals and have carefully labeled each one's weakness."

Hubert was relieved to hear that. "That alone can help us greatly should any confrontation occur."

Leah agreed but Harkinian was still a little angry. The composure of his government subordinates and revived daughter Zelda did help to calm him though. If the owner of the Triforce of Wisdom was holding still, certainly everything was going to be all right.

The royal court was ready to move on to other topics. Recalling how the army was totally unaware of Maleficent's presence when Zelda was cursed, Gaepora suggested that more guards be assigned to the princess since Impa could not be expected to protect her all by herself. Harkinian agreed but did not approve of ordinary soldiers being used for the purpose.

He caughed and said, "Yes, Impa cannot be the only one burdened with this task. However, I do not approve of our well-trained fighters being used as guardians. We need every combat man in the field. The monsters are raiding our villages relentlessly despite their heavy losses. As for the guards here, they are as verdant as trainees, and I would not trust them with the security of my daughter. I want people worthy of knighthood."

To Harkinian's disappointment, no one offered a way to solve the delicate matter. His daughter needed special protection, but he also needed every dependable knight to be fighting. The king had to settle for the best that Hyrule could muster.

"Horwell, are there any youths in the academy that might suffice?"

The Knight Academy was a school used to train boys and girls in the arts of fighting. It was reserved for the best candidates (truthfully, the "best" were usually the children of the upper-class nobles) for becomming royal knights of Hyrule. Members were considered to be extremely fortunate.

The aged instructor considered which of his pupils would be suitable and replied, "Orlan's class is the farthest advanced in training, but even amongst his cadets they are few who would be worthy."

Harkinian was not letting Horwell get away with that. "Go on."

The instructor stopped for a moment. "Well, Cawlin does not have a good temper; Fledge is too meek; Strich is a little slow to action. Perhaps Karane and Pipit might work."

Harkinian was not going to let anyone argue. "It is settled. The two chosen trainees will aide Impa in the princess's round-the-clock protection as part of their training. I think we all can agree this is the most efficient option."

Zelda clearly did not want to be the source of such an inconvenience, but no one dared say a thing. Horwell was visibly disturbed by the king's sudden order, but Hubert had another idea which he voiced.

"Harkinian, there is perhaps another way." The king of Hyrule would have been angered if anyone other than Hubert had made a further remark. "If it would not be a serious bother, I was contemplating the idea of leaving Phillip here in Hyrule to get better acquainted. Of course, only if all those involved agree."

Prince Phillip nearly slipped out of his seat in surprise. His marriage to Zelda was not scheduled to be for another two years. Surely King Hubert did not expect him to stay in Hyrule for that long? Phillip would not mind a short visit, but he was already feeling homesick for his country.

Harkinian could not understand what Hubert meant. "Yes, yes, that would be fine, but how will this affect the problem of Princess Zelda's security?"

Hubert gazed blindly at the boy in green. Oh, how he would have appreciated having such a fellow as Link in his army! When the boy came of age he could have joined the Iron Guards, Hubert's special secret service. It was just too bad for the Castillian king. He swallowed his admiration for the young Hero and dutifully gave him up.

"Naturally Master Link," Hubert refrained from calling him "sir" in the somewhat hostile environment of Hyrule's nobles, "will stay with Phillip if you accept my proposition. Since Link has a great responsibility to Hyrule, it is best he part from Castilla now anyway." Hubert explained how this tied in. "Phillip will of course spend much of his time with Princess Zelda, allowing Link to act as both their guardians."

Harkinian rubbed his chin. "I am surprised that you are willing to let go of this fine warrior, but I do not object. Leah, what is your opinion?"

The Queen whole-heartedly supported the motion. "I think that it is a splendid idea for Phillip to stay here as a guest and that we should be grateful for King Hubert's generous offer of such a devoted knight as Master Link."

Leah smiled affectionately at the blushing Hero. Impa, Saria, and Queen Leah—heck, even Navi—were always excessive in trying to look out for him. Link could definitely do without all those women trying to mother him.

Before accepting, Harkinian wanted to be sure his royal court was in agreement. "Is there anything else that someone would like to add?"

General Gaepora stood up. "I think that it would be foolish to reject, for I would be willing to pay a high price for a swordsman as good as the prince's guardian."

Link did not like being refered to as property. Surely he did respect devotion, but being thrown around between "owners" like that was offensive to his love of freedom. Link was a carefree lad that enjoyed avdenture and impulsive actions.

Hubert sensed his uneasiness. "Master Link, you would be willing to serve Hyrule instead of Castilla, right?"

All eyes were on Link as he was forced to make a monumental decision. Six years earlier he had chosen Castilla over Hyrule but only because he knew that they would be the same kingdom one day. His duties as the Hero obligated him to serve Hyrule and the reincarnation of the goddess who was Zelda. There really were never any choices for the Hero. Maybe he could still get away with one condition though.

"Well," Link began as Rauru gave him an intimidating stare in an attempt to push him Hyrule's way, "with the understanding that I am Phillip's assigned guardian, I would be honored to be accepted into Hyrule's defense."

Harkinian smiled from ear to ear and laughed from his belly. "That is fine, perfectly fine. I know you will make a fine guardian for the prince and princess."

Gaepora leaned into Link and whispered, "I admire your personal devotion to Prince Phillip. Hold onto that trait; that is the stuff knights are made of."

Link nodded thoughtfully to his new superior. General Gaepora was a veteran from a minor war (one without monsters and such) that concluded before Link was born. Now the overweight soldier was the supreme commander of Hyrule's armies, a title that entended to the dominions (Gerudo Valley, Zora's Domain, etc.). Link was fortunate to have quickly gained his favor.

King Harkinian quieted the murmurs with a gavel. "Is there anything else of importance to discuss before we dismiss?"

Not knowing how to bring attention to himself, Sahasrahla raised his hand.

"Rise." Harkinian did not like his ignorance of etiquette.

Sahasrahla said nothing.

"Well, what is it you wish to discuss, Sir?"

The old man practically paid no notice to Harkinian. "Um...King Hubert," the Castillian king gave his attention to Sahasrahla, "since many of my recent discoveries relate to magic, I was wondering if you would allow me to stay in Hyrule, considering that this nation has the world's best magic-users."

Hubert looked slightly offended, but Sahasrahla was blinded by his love of learning and teaching and did not notice his king's obvious disappointment.

He continued, "Surely you managed to get along fine without me while I was imprisoned by the late witch Maleficent." Hubert shook his head in denial, but Sahasrahla was determined. "There is little I can do for Castilla with the information I have acquired now. I do believe my new-found knowledge would be most useful here."

Hubert seemed sad, terribly lonely, almost like an outcast. True, his nation would merge with Hyrule one day, but that would be the day he died. He would never see the bond be created that he so desired. Even if he had pointy ears, he could never become a Hylian.

Hubert was giving everything to Hyrule, even though he would never see the fruit of his unselfishness. First, he gave up his country by having Phillip become Zelda's prince consort. Next, he voluntary freed the boy Link, who epitomized what it meant to be Hylian, from his allegiance to Castilla. Now his oldest adviser, whom he so greatly missed, wished to part with him also, but Hubert dared not stop him for love of a country he did not belong to.

"Sahasrahla, if you believe that you can be most productive in Hyrule, I want you to stay here." Hubert was willing to give all to Hyrule at the expense of Castilla.

"I am most grateful and will do my best to honor your choice." Sahasrahla cleared his throat nervously. "Now then, er...Your Majesty, King of Hyrule, will you...accept me?"

The old man knew that he needed the king's stamp of approval in order to be of any substantial help to Hyrule. Harkinian shifted uneasily, for he had quickly become annoyed by Sahasrahla. However, Queen Leah would not allow Harkinian to reject, for the old Castillian held the key to learning and fighting advanced magic. The king conceded, with an "Oh, bother." There was still a chance the royal court could say no.

"All in favor of appointing the elder Sahasrahla as an adviser for defense, raise your hand."

Nearly everyone showed approval. Rauru, Gaemora, Renado, Impa, Leah, Darunia (the only leader present of the three major races), Horwell, Seres, Auru, a dozen others, and even Zelda.

Harkinian pounded his gavel. "It is settled. Impa, see to it that the staff provide appropriate quarters for the prince, his guardian, and Sir Sahasrahla. The rest of you are dismissed."

The room quickly cleared of all but the royalty, and Phillip immediately went to his father.

"Father, I—"

"I know, I know. I should have told you first." Hubert put his hand on Philip's shoulder.

Phillip looked deep into his father's eyes. Having been pampered since birth, he was not ready to leave the nest on such short notice. But then again, he had to do as he was told. He had to stay in Hyrule while his father went home. He had to live up to his oath to marry the princess. He had to; that is what good monarchs were supposed to do.

Hubert tried to brighten his spirit. "I am certain you will enjoy staying here at the castle. I will be sure to send for you within a month and besides, you can hasten to learn much about your future role as the princess's most intimate adviser during this time."

There was something insincere in Hubert's voice that revealed he was having a very difficult time surrendering his son to a foreign kingdom. Phillip nodded and resisted the urge to cry. He was a man and had to learn to do without his father. He had to learn to be feelingless like Link.

000

Sahasrahla, Link, and Hyrule's royal family accompanied Hubert to the bridge and bid him farewell. Zelda covertly remarked to Link that the mere handshake between Phillip and Hubert seemed rather cold, but Link could not sympathize. He never had a family and was sort of getting used to flying around Hyrule without attaching his feelings to anything or anyone, or so he liked to tell himself. In reality, Link was having major emotional issues that he kept trapped inside himself, waiting to burst like an overfilled balloon.

King Hubert stepped into his carriage, and Phillip returned to Link and Sahasrahla. As Hyrule watched the well-protected caravan take away the Castillian king to his home, a melancholy silence fell over until Harkinian spoke up.

"Phillip, you have an honorable father. May the goddesses bless him."

"Thank you...Your Majesty." Phillip's expression looked as dead and empty as Link's.

The guards at the bridge urged Leah to bring her family back inside the castle where a Moblin's bow could not reach. She took the hint seriously and told Zelda to go inside.

Leah snapped Harkinian out of his meditation. "Come, we must see that our guests are cared for."

Harkinian assented and the six of them (Harkinian, Leah, Zelda, Phillip, Sahasrahla, and Link) parted ways in the castle. Sahasrahla was provided an office where he could sort out his years' study of the sorcerers he had been living with. Phillip and Link were given rooms adjacent to one another, Link's being a bit simpler but good for storing his collection of gadgets and weapons. Since Link had once lived in Saria's one-room house, his new room in the castle seemed like a mansion. The bed by itself was enough to make Link drool. It was a good thing that Link had first served Castilla as a transition to the splendor of Hyrule. Hyrule was just so..."pompous."

The king and queen returned to their duties, but Phillip and Link were allowed to spend some time with Zelda. Harkinian told Link that he now had a simple twofold duty now: protect Prince Phillip and Princess Zelda. Consequently, the three of them needed to bond together because one day Phillip and Zelda would be married and Link would be their personal guardian. Furthermore, Link and Zelda needed to be prepared to fight a great evil together that was prophesied to arise.

The trio subsequently formed a unique "triforce" of friendship in which they all had common ground and balanced each other's personalities. Phillip and Zelda had the relation of both being royalty and each other's future spouse. Phillip and Link were already companions for many years in Castilla, while Link and Zelda were both Hylians, bearers of the Triforce, and had lived in Kokiri as children. Phillip represented honesty, compassion, and optimism; Link exemplified dependability, honor, and perseverance; and Zelda was the perfect example of kindness, magnanimity, and wisdom. Phillip did most of the talking while Zelda spoke in aphorisms and Link avoided speaking altogether. They certainly were not like ordinary friends, but they somehow got along.

From the enormous library, the laughter of the three youths echoed through the bare hallways.

"And then he nearly poked me with his wooden sword!" Zelda was telling Phillip about how she had first met Link in the Kokiri Forest when they were children.

Phillip teased his guardian. "Link! How dare you treat the princess that way!"

The Hero was quick to defend himself. "I thought she was a monster!"

The prince and princess erupted in laughter again, making Link become a little worried about their ganging up on him. Must he suffer their cruel jokes for the rest of his life? At least Zelda only had one story to share about him, or so he thought; Link had still not pieced everything together together and realized that Zelda was the girl he met in Kokiri a day earlier. Thankfully, only Saria knew about the many embarrassing episodes of Link's younger days. Of course, Zelda would surely find new stories to torture him with as he contined his adventures around Hyrule. It was not like he was free from getting into trouble. There were still things like—darn time travel!

Without a noise, the Sheikah Impa entered the library and leaned over the couch Zelda and Phillip were sitting on and cleared her throat. Surprise! She caught them unexpectedly.

Zelda stopped laughing with a gasp. "Impa! Never do that! Oh, my heart..."

Link, who was sitting on the other side of the couch and saw Impa walk in, burst into laughter. "Now look at who is frightened?" he thought to himself. Maybe Zelda would better understand now why he had acted the way he did that fateful day in the Kokiri Forest in which the two Chosen Ones first met.

"Master Link!" The days of Impa's scolding were only beginning. "Is this a proper way to act before the princess?"

Impa was a scary woman when she wanted to be. She was also scary when she did not want to be. Link composed himself and received a unwarranted gaze of steel from Zelda. Phillip was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, but Impa just shook her head. Kids—that's all they were.

"Princess Zelda, we have some things to go over with your parents. Please excuse yourself and come with me."

Zelda was tired of Impa treating her like a child. It was not like the castle was going to be the same as their old home in the Kokiri Forest. Impa was not her nanny anymore, and Zelda was a princess. She did not want to be treated that way in the company of Prince Phillip and the Hero Link, both of whom Zelda had grown quite attached to. Though Impa held a high rank in Hyrule, it was still embarrassing for her to belittle Zelda.

Zelda stood up and ignored Impa with a proud voice. "It seems I must leave. Thank you for your time gentlemen." She winked at her two boyish friends to show that she was not being serious.

Since Zelda and Phillip had informal upbringings and Link was—well, Link was just Link—proper etiquette was only a formality. Phillip stood up, and Link inclined his head in respect. Though those three enjoyed being casual when alone, as royalty they had to practice their manners, and Link had the whole code of chivalry to deal with. Zelda walked out gracefully with Impa leaving the two boys alone in the library.

Phillip sighed. "Is she not the very picture of feminine perfection?"

Phillip was getting a little bit enamored with his future bride; actually, on second thought, he was getting very enamored with her. Link had sort of forgotten about their betrothal. He was simply enjoying the good company Zelda and Phillip made. Nevertheless, he had to admit that he admired the princess also.

"She is beautiful, kind, and has a sense of humor. She reminds me of—" Link paused with an _O_ on his mouth.

Realization hit him hard like a boulder and smashed his mental foundations into bits that required a new cohesive force to put back together into something formidable and useful again. Zelda WAS the girl he had heard singing in the Kokiri Forest. She WAS the girl that he had immediately liked. Then maybe the reason he was able to awaken her with a kiss was that—

"Stop!" Link told himself, "Get a hold of yourself! She's to be Phillip's wife, not some green knight's crush. Dare I to love a woman I will never be able to have and to hold?"

The way how Link always seemed to be zoning out was quite unsettling to the prince.

"Yes, Link?" Phillip observed his guardian worriedly.

"Nothing." Link turned his head away in shame.

Phillip recognized that something was bothering him, but he did not want to press any further. Perhaps there was something in Link's past that was a little sensitive to the topic of love. After all, he never knew his family. Phillip did not have any hints as to what the matter was because Link was becoming quite good at having an unreadable expression when he wanted to.

Link spoke out rather abruptly, "Prince Phillip,"

"Yes?"

"I, uh...would like to go fetch the sword I dropped fighting Maleficent. May I have permission?"

Link hardly meant anything he said. He just needed an excuse to get away.

"Um...surely."

Phillip was awkwardly aware that Link obviously had another reason for leaving so suddenly, but he could not place what it was. Did it have to do something with Zelda?

Link bowed to Phillip and left in haste. That in itself was odd; Link never bowed to his prince. The two were more like friends than servant and master. Not able to discern what had quickly come over Link, Phillip decided to forget about it and go see what Sahasrahla was up to. He had his own problems to deal with and was already beginning to ache at the thought of being separated from his fellow black-haired Castillians for so long.

Link instinctively packed his gear and went to get Epona from the stables. His mind was full of contradictions. As though his life were not crazy and complicated enough, he had to go about falling in love with a girl who was not only a princess, but also betrothed. Okay, it was not like he was madly in love with her, for all he had done was talk and MAYBE flirt a little with her in the Kokiri Forest. That all would have been fine but then—but then he had to go up and kiss her. That part was what bothered him. He sort of felt that he had betrayed Prince Phillip by doing that, but did his duty to the goddess incarnate not far supersede any personal promises?

Aware that the sun was about to set, Link quickly announced his departure and set out for Hyrule Field. He remembered last seeing his missing sword pierced into a rock around a black stain that was the only visible carcass of the witch Maleficent. Unfortunately, he had been so preoccupied during the fight that he did not quite recall where the place was. Hyrule Field was a huge landscape of plant life, dirt, rocks, and roads that practically surrounded Castle Town. For a moment he wished that he had a fairy around to help him. It was far too late to think about that though.

As Link searched fervently, a small group of armed men got his attention. They seemed to be looking at some rocks that were reminiscent of his battle with Maleficent. Instinctively cautious, Link hopped off Epona and told her to go hide in the brush. The horse followed his words as though she spoke the Hylian language, for she was a most well-trained mare and had good genes from Talon's selective breeding at Lon Lon Ranch.

Link approached the people carefully and immediately recognized the black stain where his sword had slain the dragon. There was a very strange person doing an unattractive dance around the site. His skin was grey, and his hair was silvery white. He was famaliar in a way that suggested all sorts of bad things.

Link hopped into the large ditch and startled several of the lesser figures. Without a word, the minions attempted to apprehend Link, but he was not going to let himself be mugged by those hudlums. It was time to be the haughty knight.

"I advise you to keep your hands off me, for this is public land."

"Shh!"

One of the men harshly rebuked Link for speaking because their master needed complete silence. The grey man's minions were typical thugs. Link knew the type from Castilla. They were wanton warriors, armed men whom gangs often hired for protection or for accomplishing their ambitions by force. Telma's Bar usually attracted such people.

The men again tried to grab Link, and that time he only escaped with the defensive use of his sword.

"Dare you to assault me?"

A spear was thrown straight at Link, but he stopped its path with his Hylain Shield. The resulting noise was enough to disturb the grey man's concentration. As he stopped his dance and turned to the green-clad boy in rage, Link recognized who the dancing villain was: Ghirahim, a fellow time-traveller, but his time-travel spanned milennia.

Ghirahim's unfinished magic did have a consequence. The sword absorbed the black stain left by Maleficent and took on its color of evil magic. Ghirahim did a little scream and pounded his foot and pointed an accusing finger at Link.

"You! Don't you have any respect, any sense of dignity?! Who are you to come here and interfere with my sacred work?"

Link remained stupidly calm. "It looked like idolatry to me."

Ghirahim put his palm to his face. "Oh! Such ignorance! You could not begin to understand my plans..."

Link observed the result of Ghirahim's half-done ritual. "What have you done to my sword?"

"Your sword?" Ghirahim scoffed. "Don't tell me YOU of all people felled that crazy witch."

"Actually, I did and I plan to retrieve what is rightfully mine."

"No, wait!" Ghirahim put his hand out. "Your sword is transformed into something quite dangerous now, and I am sure there is no way you will be able to properly control it."

Link ignored Ghirahim and marched over to the cursed weapon. The grey villain called his hired assistants to stop him, but they chickened out for fear of the Hero that had beaten the dragon.

"Useless, dastardly imbeciles!" Ghirahim called them.

Before the Demon Lord could prepare himself to personally take on Link, the green boy grabbed a hold of the black sword and utterly destroyed it. His inborn power disintegrated the weapon and banished the magic of Maleficent to the place of the damned.

Ghirahim was frozen in shock with his tongue hanging disgustingly out of his mouth. There was no more sword, no more stain, nothing.

"You're a—goddesses be damned! You stupid idoit! You ignorant pig!" Ghirahim said some other things that were not quite appropriate to be repeated. "You just completely dissolved the irreplaceable powers of Maleficent and all those she wrested magic from! Do you even realize what a treasure you have wasted!?"

Ghirahim's hired help quickly disappeared and left the two archenemies to argue by themselves. Link did not care about magic one teensy little bit and was unable to take Ghirahim seriously.

"All I know is you did something to my sword for which you ought to repay me."

"ME repay YOU?! How dare you! You have ruined everything! Oh, how I would love to take your neck and—"

Ghirahim's grey was becoming nearly green, and he said some shockingly graphic things. Link knew that Ghirahim's talk was not worth anything though.

"If you are so inclined to kill me, why not fight me in a duel?"

"Because cocky boy, I don't have time for beings as insignificant as you. Oh, but mark my word, I'll see to it that you get what you so richly deserve. Yes, once I get some leisure time on my hands, you're going to get it! When I am through with you, you will regret having ever been born!"

The Demon Lord disappeared yet again and refused to fight the boy he loved to insult. Link shrugged and dismissed Ghirahim as a nut and decided to get moving. He had to hurry and climb out of the pit and call Epona so he could return to the castle before it became pitch black out. So much for getting back his sword, or rather, the sword he had borrowed. Not that anybody was going to complain that he had lost one measly sword of iron to kill a dragon.

"Going somewhere, Brother?"

Link looked behind and saw the evil replica of himself leaning on a rock that had been brought down into the pit during his battle with Maleficent.

"You had better have that blue potion or you're going to be in for a terrifying surprise when you get back to your fellow Hylians!" threatened Dark Link.

Oh, by the wind of Farore, how many bad guys were there in Hyrule?

000 


	19. Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 19: Calm Before the Storm

After his bizarre encounter with Ghirahim, Link was stuck in a silly argument with his evil impostor, Dark Link.

"I kept my end of the deal, 'Hero.' I've been sneaking and creeping about Hyrule making sure no one sees my face just for your sake. I think we both are well aware what will happen should anyway catch sight of me, a devilish replica of yourself. It will be the end of your days of glory serving royalty, that's for sure."

Link sighed. Why could he not muster the courage to slit that guy's throat? Maybe it was because Link recognized that he was too ghostly to be able to be harmed by physical means. Who Dark Link was and what he was really made of remained a mystery.

"Listen to reason, will you, Shade?" Shade was the name Link erroneously called Dark Link, "Since you always seem to be spying on me, surely you are aware that I have been busy fighting a terrible witch and her minions. I simply haven't had the time to do shopping for you."

The evil one scoffed. "Oh, really? I suspect that you enjoy adventuring around Hyrule acting like a badass swordsman thinking you can always save the day. Now being truthful, don't you?"

Link firmly negated the claim with a curved lip and a turn of his head, for he felt quite the opposite about being the Hero.

Dark Link was forced to try a different approach. "Well, it sure seems to me that everyone knows you released from the 'terrible' witch Maleficent's possession a dozen or more people who are just as dangerous as the one you slew. Oh, and they are not the only menaces in Hyrule! Don't you see that you're only making things more screwed up? I am aware of the actions of persons from the Dark Realm, and believe me, trouble is brewing of all sorts. This kingdom is doomed to be turned into a land of chaos. Of course, I plan to get my share of the profits."

Link was unwilling to respond to the obvious plot against him.

"You really must get over this hero's complex of yours and face the facts: I have the goods on you and if you don't listen to me, you'll be reduced to nothing, probably banished from the kingdom for demonic activity."

Dark Link was a simplistic shadow being that foolishly believed he could always manipulate and get his way. In abandoning the leadership of greater demons such as Ganon, Dark Link hoped to lay low and avoid destruction by just gaining power over one specific individual: the Hero incarnate. He truthfully desired nothing more.

"Shade, we are not gettng anywhere with this bickering. I'm leaving. If you want your blue potion, fine, I'll buy one tomorrow morning. But don't think I am going to do anything wrong for your sake."

It was almost humorous how Link and his Dark Shadow could treat each other like merely disagreeing friends, yet still throw their swords at each other's necks like the true enemies they were. It was as though they felt that one could not defeat the other and instead preferred to tease and threaten.

"We'll see about that Chosen One."

Shade disappeared with a playful smirk that nearly made Link laugh. There was something very wrong about Link's relationship with his dark counterpart; neither side was acting true to his word. It seemed that Dark Link was no longer like the pure evil he tried to embody, and that the Hero was unwilling to fight him.

Link whistled for Epona in vain. The sun was far past the horizon and his horse was most likely safe in the castle by then. Of course, everybody was probably worried about Link not returning, but he really did not care, and Hyrule was going to have to learn to leave the green boy to his own devices. An exhausting day was over, and Link just wanted to get back and sleep for the rest of the week. He never wanted to hear the word Maleficent again, or think about his new-found love for his prince's princess, or worry about all the trouble that was brewing around Hyrule. He needed a break.

Link cursed in disbelief.

Out of the dim lighting of the rising moon, Stalchildren appeared like sparkling pirates preparing an ambush. Hyrule Field was filled with them every night. Now Link had to fight his way back. As he pulled out his sword for the last time today, he mouthed some more curses and blamed his stupid fate.

"Oh, my aching back."

000

Phillip was the only person in the castle not really worried about Link's safety. He knew that Link had left to shoot some steam out of his system. There was many a day in Castilla when Link came stumbling in late after some crazy expedition into a haunted house or some abandoned mine. Link's extended departure that night was no different. There was something bothering Link; so be it if he took it out on monsters. He would return. He always did. There was no sense in trying to stop the adventurer. The prince honestly believed that Link was invincible or something close to immortal.

Phillip decided not to tell the king about his guardian's absense. He did not want to cause unnecessary worry. But it was getting late, and he and the princess were retiring for the day. He bid Zelda goodnight and told her that Link would be fine.

"Our guardian seemed a little upset when he left. We need to give him some time. He should be back soon with what he went out for: the sword he slayed Maleficent with. I am sure Hyrule would like to keep that weapon as a relic of this legend of the Sleeping Beauty." Phillip smirked.

Zelda blushed at the disguised flattery, only making Phillip's admiration greater. The princess was in a difficult situation. She was smitten with Link, a love that she knew was unacceptable and not likely to be returned, but she was betrothed to Phillip, an honest gentlemen who loved to pamper her.

If it were up to Zelda, she might choose Link. She would never be so selfish as to voice that opinion though, for it would hurt all those concerned, even her kingdom. She had to do away with her love for Link before it reached a point of no return. Perhaps she could transfer her feelings to the charming prince standing in front of her. At least she knew that Phillip definitely had a thing for her. She had caught Link's interest and even been awakened by his very own kiss, but the awkward looks Link gave her suggested that he did not love her the way she loved him or Phillip loved her.

But oh, how wrong she was in thinking so! The spirits of Link and Zelda had a love that was a bond created by their roles as Chosen Ones. It was a love that exceeded the present and did not require earthly things like marriage, or kisses, or even words. They could simply stare at one another, and that alone would reveal their appreciation and understanding.

Unfortunately, for these particular incarnations of the Goddess and her Hero, their love amounted to something a little more; it was that thing which makes young men and women act foolishly and do crazy things if only to get attention from the opposite sex. Zelda knew that such feelings were not going to be easy to destroy with Link being her guardian and all. She had to love the prince truly and purely if her marriage to him were ever going to be anything positive. Link had to be expelled from her life. Phillip was surely an excellent replacement for Link.

"Zelda, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen." Phillip wholly meant that.

Zelda's blush was furious. "Th–thank you."

The two stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds. It seemed that the circumstance requited a kiss or something. Even though Zelda was sixteen and Phillip twenty-one, such an action would probably be acceptable since they were betrothed and no one was around.

"Goodnight, Princess."

"Goodnight, Prince Phillip."

Zelda retreated to her room, and Phillip rushed away with his heart sticking out of his chest. He swore to Hylia that he would gather the courage to kiss her the next time. That is, if he ever got that chance.

000

Link stumbled up to the castle gate with his sword in his left hand and blood dripping down his other arm.

"Halt! Who goes there?" The guards directed their spears to the dark lump that was Link.

"Master Link, guardian of Phillip...and—"

The boy in green fell to the ground in exhaustion. One of the guards lit a lamp to examine the body. "It's a young knight! Bring 'im in! Careful! He's hurt!"

The soldiers brought the young man into the castle and had a physician attend to his wound. Once he was well enough to speak, they let him tell his story.

"I went to fetch a sword but found much more than plainly that."

"What was it about this sword that was so important?" the doctor questioned.

"I used it to kill Maleficent."

"Malef—wait a minute. Are you Link?!"

The guards knew the boy in name only.

"Yes," Link admitted.

"Pritchard, tell the prince that his guardian has returned!"

Link did not want it to be a big deal and objected. "No, no, don't bother him. He's probably asleep," Link lied. He knew that Phillip always stayed up late reading.

"Nonsense, lad! 'E's been awake worrying about ya!"

One of the gaurds left to tell the prince.

Right after Phillip received the news, he rushed to tell Zelda. The prince tied the knot on his robe and knocked softly on Zelda's bedroom door. To his surprise, she quickly opened with a similar attire and a book in one hand. That was one thing they had in common: a love of studying.

"Link has returned, and it sounds like he had a little bit of a rough time!"

"Oh, no!"

Zelda threw her book down and put a clip on her hair to get it out of her face. The prince and princess scurried down the stairs to the room where Link was being watched by a doctor. Walking with quiet slippers, they surprised a soldier that was eating a snack in the middle of a hallway. The guard quickly hid the evidence of his indulging while on duty.

"Your highness." He bowed dutifully.

Phillip spared no time in questioning. "Is Sir Link being held in here?" He pointed to a door.

"Sir...? Oh, yes he is. I think he just got back."

The two royals barged in on Link and saw a man wrapping his bloodied right arm. Upon sighting his master and mistress, Link remembered the code of chivalry and tried to stand up, but the doctor held him down.

"It's okay, buddy. They'll understand."

Phillip and Zelda walked in slowly and nodded to the bowing guards who were in the room with Link.

Link, seeming half-drunk and half like his usual self, called out in a voice that broke up a bit. "Phillip? Princess?"

Remembering that she and Phillip only had their bath robes and sleepwear on, Zelda asked to be left alone. "We would like a word with Link."

The guards bowed and stepped out in respect.

The doctor whispered before leaving, "Don't be worried if he acts a little strangely. I gave him some strong medicine. It's nothing serious, but he seemed to be holding in a lot of pain."

The physician's words were almost symbolic. After the room cleared, Link managed a guilty smile.

Phillip half-jokingly stated, "Oh, what are we going to do with you?"

Zelda got right to the point. "What happened?"

Link did not feel like reliving anything more from his terrible day. "To be concise, someone destroyed the sword I was looking for. Then I got...sidetracked." That was a reference to his meeting with Dark Link. "By the time I started heading home, Stalchildren were everywhere. I did not know so many existed. One of them got me when I wasn't looking." He raised his right arm; the upper part was sliced in the biceps. "I didn't expect that. I'm sorry for causing you to worry."

Phillip and Zelda, probably Link's best friends in the world, could not find it in their hearts to scold him. They stared at him in a way that appeared to say, "Tsk, tsk, tsk; so this is the boy that will kill Ganon?" Link felt rather exposed under their gaze, and very much unlike himself, he tried to start small talk.

"Say uh, what time is it anyhow?"

Phillip answered, "11:38, more than six hours since we got back from Maleficent's castle."

Zelda recognized an uneasiness in the Hero's disposition and tried to press for information. "Link, is there anything important that you should tell us?"

How did she know?

"Well," Link could not tell them anything direct about Dark Link, "there was this guy named Ghirahim; he was the one who destroyed my sword. He was trying to absorb the magic that Maleficent left behind."

Phillip got pale quickly. "It definitely sounds like he was up to no good."

"He claims that he was brought here by time travel and that he is a servant of Demise."

Zelda gasped. "Demise?! The Father of All Evil? The resurgence of a our grand enemy may be closer than we think."

Link became serious and continued, "Then I met another guy [Dark Link]; he said that he was aware of a lot of activity to and fro the Dark Realm." Link shook his head. "I don't know. All these monsters and all this strange activity—I believe you are right, Princess. I think we are on the verge of being assaulted. I just don't see how I am supppssed to deal with this all alone. I think that we need entire armies to fight the thousands of monsters and scores of villainous demons threatening us."

Zelda stepped closer and Phillip watched in silence. "Yes, Link, the prophecies say that this fight will be much like a war. We will need an army to defeat our evil enemies: an Army of the Goddesses."

Phillip grabbed Link's left hand and added, "You won't be left alone Link. All of Hyrule and all of Castilla is on your side."

000

The Gerudo had a very distinct culture from the rest of Hyrule. Though they most closely represented the Hylians in physical appearance, the Gerudo were nothing like their neighbors. The amazonish tribe of people descended from piratelike criminals; consequently, they had a noticeable warrior quality.

The Gerudo race was responsible for the physical births of the humanoid incarnations of Ganon, often called Ganondorf. This cruel prank of the goddesses caused great dissension between the Gerudo and Hylians, and even went so far as to cause an all-out war between the two groups many centuries ago. However, in more recent years, far after the unification of the three timeline divisions, the Gerudo willingly became the last of the three great races to be formally annexed by Hyrule's government. In Phillip's time, the Gerudo had representatives in the castle and actively voiced their opinion on foreign and domestic matters.

The most striking characteristic of the Gerudo was that they almost never bear male chlidren. Strangely, only one male was born to a Gerudo mother every one hundred years, and he always became their king. As a result, Gerudo woman had to find foreign men to be their husbands, or else they were forced to live singly in their homeland.

Generally, a Gerudo woman married abroad and then returned to her city, commonly with a newborn daughter but usually without the father. Since men seldom ventured into Gerudo Valley, Gerudo woman typically had to leave the land to meet their husbands in secret. The first years of a young Gerudo woman's life were often quite difficult and filled with discouragement from older women. It was not easy for a girl to fulfill her dreams if she was born as one of the strange woman of the desert.

One of those particular Gerudo women is worthy of mention, for she carried with her a cruel responsibillity: her name was Aveil.

000

Thirty years ago...

Aveil was always a rebellious girl. When she was young, she quickly developed a love of combat and independence. Her overactive nature frequently got her in trouble with the stringent enforcers of the rules of the Gerudo, particularly her mother. If there was a preferred way to do something, Aveil was always determined to find a better, impoper method. She abhorred custom, largely because she recognized the faults in Gerudo culture.

However, Aveil was also very spiteful and did not care one bit about law. Her mother, a young yet wise woman named Urbosa, was one of the advisers of the great Gerudo chief Nabooru. Urbosa was the complete opposite of her daughter. She had the advantage of experience and knew how hostile the world was outside of the Gerudo deserts. She and her daughter were never on the same level, and Aveil commonly accused Urbosa of being a feelingless grinch.

Urbosa had been a mother since she was sixteen, and her husband was a loyal Hylian man that she barely knew at the time. Well aware of Urbosa's past, Aveil was sickened by the state of Gerudo mothers. None of them lived with their husbands, and as a result, many girls never got to see their fathers. Despite the lack of men in Gerudo Valley, Aveil was determined not to be resigned to becoming an old maid or living the preferred lifestyle of separated monogamy.

"I don't care. I'm not going to live my life like you. I'm going to have a normal family even if I have to leave this dammed nation."

Aveil was having another fight with her mother.

Urbosa had a killer frown, worse than Impa's. "The outside world is a dangerous place filled with evil magic, foreign people, and bad men. If you think I am going to let you, immature as you are, go run off and do something foolish—girl, you have a lot to learn about the ways of the Gerudo AND me."

"How am I immature? What's so immature about wanting marriage the way it was intended to be?! And you bring up a good point. Yeah, I don't know much about you, AND I don't even know who my father is! Unless I count the fact that you go see him once a month!" That was suppossed to be a secret. "How do you even know that he is staying true to you?"

Urbosa looked hurt. "You have no right to be asking such questions."

Though Aveil had a good point, she was not having the right attitude.

"All you do is treat me coldly and tell me I'm stupid and slow of learning. Well, I think you are sheltering me from reality! Life in this goddess-damned desert is so artificial and absurd that it nearly rivals the fantasies Hylians believe!"

"Aveil," something snapped in Urbosa, "we are not going to speak of this any longer; I have more important things to do."

Aveil mumbled one more remorse, "Yeah, things more important to you than me."

The delinquent daughter stormed away and slammed her door behind her, leaving her mother to weep in solitude. Urbosa really did understand her daughter, but she had no way to accommodate Aveil's pleas for the entire Gerudo nation to repair its backward culture. Urbosa too had been much like her daughter when she was young.

She whispered to herself, "Oh, Aveil, don't make the same mistakes I did when I was your age."

But it was too late to stop her. Aveil packed up her belongings in a traditional runaway sack, hopped out of a window, and sneaked out of the Gerudo town with stealth movements as good as Link's. Her mother did not even know what happened until the morning afterward.

Aveil took off into the unknown with little planning, yet the young female adventurer somehow managed to not get herself killed, mugged, or otherwise injured. After examining her map, she marked Castilla as her destination and reached that objective two days after fleeing the Gerudo.

Life in Castilla was a drastic change, but not as severly different from Gerudo as Zora or Goron culture. For awhile, Aveil was homeless and did desperate things for food or lodging. There was even a time when she regretted having left the Gerudo, but that all changed when she received a steady job at Telma's bar.

Surely serving alcohol and sandwiches to sloppy Castillian soldiers and weird clan members was not the most appealing way to earn a wage, but Aveil liked working hard and got along quite well with Telma. Being a different-looking kind of young woman, Aveil received much unwanted attention from hopeful Castillian men. And she was only fifteen for Din's sake!

There was one particularly annoying "suitor" named Valdar (the same man that met Link many years later as an undercover guardian of Phillip). Aveil was sure she did not like him, but found it convenient to use him as a shield from other men. However, as is usually the case with first impressions, Aveil changed her views and soon found herself falling for him. Valdar meanwhile, had gained much favor in the sight of King Hubert and was admitted to the king's personal, elite storm troops, the Iron Guards. He likewise fell for Aveil like a cat walking over ice.

The rest was unimportant. The two eventually married, and Aveil rejoiced that she could lead a normal life with her military husband. Ah! But the poor soul was not allowed to have even that, for when she conceived and gave birth, something terrible happened.

000

"It's a boy." Valdar's smile was brighter than sunshine.

Aveil, still a little weak, croaked, "What did you say?"

"I said we have been given a boy!"

"What?! No! She can't be!"

Valdar frowned in confusion, but the nurse standing nearby could only offer him a shrug. Valdar gestured for the latter to step out and focused his attention on his wife.

"Aveil, what is the matter with you?"

"I'm a Gerudo, that's what's the matter!"

Valdar blinked stupidly; he seriously did not have the faintest idea what was wrong.

Aveil broke out in desperation, "Don't you know? Only one male is born to us Gerudo every one hundred years."

"I know. But I still fail to see why that upsets you. I believe it is custom that he become the king of your country one day. I am proud."

Aveil began breathing heavily. "The Hylians think much more than that. Their fantasies and false prophecies claim that the next male born to us is destined to be an evil demon."

Valdar was not a religious man and did not know or care a bit about the weird beliefs of Hylians.

"Well, that is just plain silly. Why do you take care for such frameless talk?"

"Valdar, you don't understand. This is serious. If the Hylians find out about our son, they will kill him!"

"We are in Castilla, and I can guarantee that our righteous government would never allow such a thing here. Besides, I doubt anyone in this kingdom even knows about this so-called prophecy. You're all I've ever known about the Gerudo." Valdar smiled and kissed his red-skinned wife and handed her their baby. "I would never let anyone harm you or him."

Aveil took her child in her arms and could not contain her smile. "Maybe you're right. Here in Castilla, our child can grow up to show how wrong the Hylians are. He does not have to become a Gerudo king either."

"What will we name him?"

Aveil had no hesitance in her answer. "Ganondorf."

Fate is a cruel thing.

000

Ganondorf inherited genes from his father and mother that made him a tall, robust boy. The dominant Gerudo features were obvious with his red hair and thick legs. However, the Castillians did not expect anything because they had many dark-skinned people and even some red-haired people in the region called Rougenforte. There were children like Malon and Groose that helped to prevent Ganondorf from sticking out. Also, Valdar never mentioned that Aveil was a Gerudo, so no one ever suspected anything.

Young Ganondorf was ironically a pleasant, athletic boy, though he preferred his own company and advertures to playing with friends. For many years it seemed that he really was just a normal boy. The truth came out however in his teenage years when he started making demands.

"Mother, do not call me Ganondorf. I am Ganon."

Aveil suspected nothing and assented to use the nickname. As time passed, Ganondorf's entire attitude started to change to something repulsive and cold. Aveil brushed it aside as his way of growing up, but she was in for a surprise one day when she found her son atop the tallest horse she had ever seen.

"Farewell," was all he had to say.

Ganondorf was all ready to leave his parents with only a second's notice. Aveil calmly put down a bucket of water she had fetched out of her well. Valdar was on duty and missed the tragic reentry of the Demon King into the world.

"Where on earth did you get that horse? And where do you think you're going?"

"The horse is mine by rights, and I am awakening to a call to conquer the world."

Ganondorf was still a little young and unlike the awful man he was to be.

Aveil did not like how serious he sounded about conquering the world and questioned almost timidly, "When will you be back?"

Ganondorf grabbed the reins and replied in a voice alien to Aveil, "Never." The archenemy-to-be then dashed away on his beast of a horse in earnest to make preparations for future assault on Hyrule.

Valdar returned that night to find his wife crying and his boy disappeared. Aveil explained the story over and over to him, but alas, neither of them could decipher the symbolic incident. Their boy was gone, and he had evil plans. In fact, he really was a demon and a terrifying one at that. And they—they were the ones guilty for it.

Unfortunately, the upheaval caused by their boy brought tension in their marriage as Aveil became more and more pessimistic. Things escalated so far that Aveil eventually left Valdar with nothing but a note of her departure. She returned to the Gerudo and vowed to make everything up to her mother Urbosa whom she wished she had listened to.

Valdar, who had attained officer status in the Iron Guards, was severely demoralized by the harshness of his runaway wife, but because there was no formal divorce, he held hopes that he would eventually find her again. His devotion to Castilla left him no time to go looking for her though, and the appearance of Link brought reality upon him. The prophecy was true, and he really was the father of a demon—a demon that was called the worst evil Hyrule ever knew.

Ganondorf, the menace of the desert, was born, raised, and protected by two ordinary, clueless, innocent people. Years later, in the time of Maleficent's ultimate defeat, he was working in the shadows, preparing to take on the mighty kingdom of Hyrule and all its allies.

Fate is indeed a cruel thing.

000 


	20. Disaster in the Night

Chapter 20: Disaster in the Night

Zelda awoke from her slumber, the sweat of an all-too realistic nightmare fresh on her skin. It was three in the morning, and an unknown enemy was infiltrating the castle much like a thief in the night. Zelda, having the prophetic qualities she was gifted, soon realized that her dream was close to reality. Hyrule was in trouble.

So much had happened the previous day, still only hours ago: Maleficent successfully cursed Zelda and was subsequently defeated, Link and Phillip took up residence in Hyrule, and it became obvious that there were still many threats like Ghirahim and an infinite number of monsters hanging around. Hyrule was on the urge of all-out warfare, but conflict was not necessarily going to be one-sided. There were many independent factions arising in the land, and alliances were being forcibly or shakily formed overnight. The largest contestors were of course Ganon and his minions and Hyrule and its allies.

The wind savagely blew the drapes of the window in Zelda's bedroom. She did not remember having left the window open, but the cold air coming in gave Zelda a surreal chill that seemed to reveal that someone else was behind the freezing invasion of her bedroom. As a particularly nasty gust came whistling in, the princess jumped up in her bed and chewed her nails nervously. She thought she heard a noise.

Then she heard it again. In the courtyard outside, the unmistakable yet quiet sound of magic beams slapping against metal echoed in the thin air. Zelda nearly let out a scream, but covered her mouth just as Impa came storming into her room.

"Princess Zelda," the indomitable Impa actually looked afraid, "the castle has been compromised."

Never were such dreadful words said so calmly.

"Impa, I—what's happening!?" Zelda quickly hopped out of her bed a threw her robe over her lingerie, but the Sheikah ignored her.

General Gaepora, with nothing but a pair of pants and a sword, appeared in the doorway. "Auru is confident that some loyalists will get the prince out safely, but the king and queen are under too much cover to save."

Impa chewed her cheek and pushed her blank mind to think. As some more members of the royal court and a few guards started piling up behind the shirtless Gaepora, Zelda broke out with a little bit of hysteria.

"What in the name of Hylia is going on!?"

Impa, not having the patience to talk with the princess, grabbed the bridge of her nose and gestured for someone else to explain. Without so much as acknowledging Zelda, people started barging into her room since it was the last large assylum in the castle. From every corner of her bedroom, the sound of distant battle was reverberating off the walls.

Rauru offered to tell the princess about the dire situation. "Princess Zelda, we are in an awful mess." Rauru and everyone else were still in their pajamas and robes or half-dressed. "More than half the guard has defected, and most of the servants have been slaughtered. Wizards are behind this, and Poes are everywhere. We of the royal court were luckily not targeted, but the king and queen are being held hostage by our own troops."

Zelda trembled slightly as she put her hand over her chest. "P–Poes?" Rauru nodded. "How did this happen? My dear mother and father—isn't anything being done to help them?"

Gaepora shook his head horizontally. "Nay, your highness. Our own warriors are out of their mind and are ruthlessly killing everyone. Even if we could get near, they'd kill our blessed monarchs."

Zelda was outraged. How could the guard betray its own nation? "Well, what's going on? Why are you all standing around here?" She demanded explanation.

Seres, a countess, answered, "We are surrounded on all sides and without weapons. The few soldiers still serving faithfully are trying their best to defend us."

The sounds of metal outside were proof of the indestructible devotion of Hyrule's castle guards; however, those troops were by no means very good, for all the best fighters were in the outskirts of Hyrule defending against the constant monster attacks.

Gaepora added, "Yes, but we are outnumbered and have no idea how to defeat these damn Poes."

Zelda searched the people and took a glance out the window at portions of the castle that were on fire and in desperate battle with evil forces. "Where is Phillip...and Link?"

Impa grabbed Zelda's tiny frame and did her best to comfort her as she used to when the princess was a baby."Lord Auru sent his own special warriors to go help them fight their way out. They got caught in the crossfire when these rebels kidnapped your parents."

Zelda looked around at the defeated faces now crowding her bedroom. "I do not understand. Why are some our own guards attacking us?"

Renado announced what everyone knew to be true, but had no ambition to say: "They are possessed."

000

Link kept lighting his arrows that the fairies were preparing with magic. From a battlement far atop the castle walls, the Hero—brave, stupid, or a little of both—was shooting at the nightmarish Poes with his favorite bow. In the courtyards below, the few remaining sane soldiers were engaged in traditional swordfights with their former comrades. It looked like civil war. The enormous keep that housed Zelda's quarters, the only part of the castle that was still free, was within eyesight.

Tatl tried to persuay the Hero to stop making it like he was having fun and get a move on to the safe zone. "Come on, Link! I can see the tower!"

"Sorry, Tatl, we're the only ones that can hurt these monstrous wizards."

Link and Phillip were doing their best to help with their excellent archery skills.

Navi looked up from her work with the arrows and screamed, "Link! Look out!"

A huge one-eyed monster resembling the Poes was standing behind Link with outstrected hands. It grabbed Link by the neck and shrieked, "KILL MY UNDERLINGS WILL YOU? NOW YOU'LL FEEL THE WRATH OF WIZZRO!"

Just as the hideous beast was about to strangle Link, a knife came flying out of nowhere and hit the creature in the eye. It let go of Link and sputtered a bloody mess until it fell off the wall to the courtyard below. Before Link could get back on his feet, three unknown warriors came swoaring up to the battlement on ropes. Link instinctively grabbed his sword and sprung to action.

The spokesmen of the trio flashed an identification badge to Phillip. "I am Shad, senior member of the Resistance forces in Castilla. I was ordered to assure your extraction, but you seem to be in good hands." To answer the unasked questions on Link and Phillip's tongues, Shad explained, "We were coincidentally in town and a person of the royal court informed us that the castle was under attack. I am to escort you to safety, if we can find it."

Phillip sighed with relief. "I am grateful that you are on our side. What is the plan to stop the traitorous soldiers?"

Rusl, an older swordsman of his own right, answered from beneath his helmet, "Great wizards, Koume, Kotake, Wizzro, and Agahnim, have taken control of the majority of the castle guards. Unless we can get some help in the form of magic, there is no way we can fight such a lopsided battle."

Ashei, the young female Resistance warrior, agreed. "Right. So probably our best shot is gettin' all the survivors the heck out of here, read me?"

Phillip wanted to disagree, but it was obvious that they were fighting a losing battle. Link was hesitant to so quickly call the magnificent castle a lost cause, but he would rather follow their lead than take responsibility.

Not a good fighter himself, Shad declared that they must regroup with the royal court before making any decisions. Link, Ashei, and Rusl stabbed and swished away the possessed guards and Poes standing in their path to the massive keep where Zelda was. The fairies managed to keep their mouths shut for once and helped by preparing magical arrows for taking down the Poes. In addition to Tael and Tatl, Navi had a new fairy named Spryte as another assistant.

Once the allied forces managed to get through the "lines" of possessed and loyal guards, they were brought to the temporary headquarters of the royal court: Zelda's bedroom. As they climbed the staircase to the princess's chamber, Link had an awful feeling they were going to be trapped.

"Phillip!" Zelda got up from her seat next to Impa. "Thank Hylia you are unharmed!"

Link and the prince acknowledged the princess with a tip of the head, the former boy feeling that he should really be outside helping the few remaining soldiers fight their insane counterparts. While the two reunited with Zelda, the Resistance explained to Auru and Gaepora that the situation was hopeless. With no way out of the castle, the refugees started feeling like a lost cause, for they were only prolonging the inevitable.

A guard came stumbling in. "We're completely famished! There are only a dozen men left besides me!"

The possessed soldiers were coming up the spiral staircase below, pushing up the tower to assassinate the few survivors. Impa started passing out her daggers so at least everyone would go down fighting. The noble men and women of Hyrule, the dozen knights, and the princess were all confronted with death by the blade of their own army. Link, however, was not giving up anytime soon. After telling the annoying fairies to shut up, he got a bright idea—a dangerous idea—a very "Linky" idea.

To the surprise of everyone watching, Link opened the doors to Zelda's balcony and pulled out a tool, something resembling both a longbow and a zipline. He then pulled back a spring and loaded in some cable that could withstand much pressure. Having the advantage of being atop the highest keep in Hyrule Castle, he fired over the stone walls, past the mote, and straight into a tree trunk. The shot created a narrow wire connecting the balcony to the city surrounding the castle. It was a novel idea, but Impa was quick to refute that escape plan.

"Master Link, the Poes will take pleasure to kill anyone foolish enough to crawl down that dangerously thin rope."

The young Hero was not as green as his tunic though. He did not intend to climb down the rope. Rather, he planned to glide down. Roughly, he opened the closet full of the princess's exquisite dresses and started taking the hangers off each piece of clothing. Why? Because each member of the royal court needed one.

Zelda was upset that Link had the nerve to mess with her personal belongings at a time like that. "Link, what are you doing in my closet? If we don't stop these Poes, we are all—" The princess was smart enough to get the idea. "No...you cannot be suggesting that we fly out the window with that!?"

Link's plan was to slide down the cable with a clothes hangar as a handle. He asked Gaepora for advice. "Do you think it'll hold?"

The fat general knew that he of all people had the least chance of making it down the rope without his hangar breaking. "Well, I suppose it is better to die trying."

Chancilor Cole, a greedy little midget that was the minister of finances, was the first to oblige to try Link's experiment. "Me first!" he insisted.

The scrawny little man grabbed a hangar and went whizzing down the zipline at a ridiculous pace with no qualms. He landed outside the castle with a plop and a puff of dirt, but otherwise he was fine.

Link was satisfied. "Who's next?"

With the threat of the possessed guards coming up the spiraling staircase below, everyone lined up to launch themselves off the balcony. Link was passing out hangars faster than he could take the clothing off them. One by one, the Resistance, the princess and Phillip, the royal court, and the rest of the survivors latched onto the rope and slid down to safety. The moonless night was the only thing keeping them from being spotted by the Poes and possessed soldiers.

Link and Gaepora were the last two to jump off, the latter feeling worried that his weight would break the rope. The only guards not already dead or controlled by the wizards were sacrifing themselves in battle while the nobility escaped through Link's preposterous method. Gaepora took two hangars just to be on the safe side and managed to slide down without any issue.

Link whistled to the last two guards behind him to make a run for it. One of them managed to get away, but the other was stuck in battle with a rebel soldier that had reached Zelda's bedroom. The possessed warrior met Link's glance for a second, his eyes aflame with red evidence of his demonic oppression. The Hero was about to barge forward and help his comrade fight that monstrous version of a human, but the fairies held him back.

"Link, there is no time to fight! Dozens of more enemies are coming! Hurry and slide down while you can!" Navi, Tael, and Tatl picked up a hangar and hovered over the rope for Link to grab ahold.

Link took one look behind and saw the last loyal soldier kill the other possessed one. A Poe appeared in the doorway of Zelda's bedroom, but the virtuous warrior did not cower. He gave a nod to Link, telling him to escape while he watched his back. The sixteen-year-old Hero took the noble offer gratuitously and was quite impressed by the selflessness of the Hyrulean knight that was willing to give his life to save Link's.

Link took the opportunity to grab a hangar and slide over the walls of the castle. The fairies attached onto his clothing and braced themselves for the high velocity ride. As the metal of the hangar chaffed with hot friction, the worn out rope frayed and tore, sending Link downward into the courtyard monkey-style. He would have been fine had the fairies not screamed so loudly, but a Poe noticed the commotion and began attacking with fire. It was actually no ordinary Poe, but the wizard Koume. Link thought it was all over for him.

He ordered, "Navi, take your fairies and fly out of here."

Contrary to their usual objections, complaints, and cheeky comments, all the fairies left him without protest; that is, all except one. Spryte, the newest addition to the fairy troop, refused to flee in the face of danger and urged Link to take out the Poe with one of his magical arrows. Link was almost offended that only Spryte had the decency to stand by him until the end, for he expected Navi to disobey his orders. It was ironic that Spryte of all the fairies was so loyal. She undeniably had the squeakiest, most annoying voice of all the fairies and pestered Link to no end. Her attachment to him nearly approached perversion.

Link managed to scare the Poe (really Koume) away with a magic arrow, and was rewarded with a bump in the head. He looked at the ground and found the culprit: a new rope hanging over the castle wall from the other side. Somehow Ashei and Rusl had managed to throw that rope over to give Link one last hope. Amidst the whines and gasps of Spryte, Link put all his muscle into climbing over the wall. By the goddesses' grace, he was not spotted by any more Poes and gracefully leapt out of the protection of Hyrule Castle into the mote below. His splash was quieted only by a careful posture. From the other side, Phillip encouraged him to push on; the escapees were waiting for him.

"Swim, Link, swim!"

With the castle at his back, Link struggled through the dirty water with the heavy weight of his weapons, tools, and chain mail pulling him to the center of the earth. Rusl offered a helping hand at the bank, which Link genuinely appreciated. Everyone else was a little bit stupified. Soaked to his undergarments, Link offered a guilty smile to Zelda and Impa.

The Sheikah woman shook her head and mouthed only loud enough for Zelda to hear, "That boy's luck is going to run out some day."

Zelda regarded Link with a dense expression. Her eyebrow was bent, her ears and cheeks flushed with worry or fury or compassion, and her eyes looked like serene flowing waters. Surely Link was a little stupid, childish, and awkward, but he certainly knew how to get out of a mess. Zelda saw him in a different way, not as a knight, love interest, friend, or foe, but as the Hero—Hylia's Hero—her Hero. Shad patted Link on the back and praised him for his ingenuity with flowery words, while Gaepora quickly organized the party for departure.

"The insurgent forces in the castle will soon find that we are nowhere to be found. Whatever greater enemy is behind this will be sure to start looking for us or do whatever other evil they please. My plan is to gather together some crack forces from our external outposts and make a surprise attack before dawn, being careful to prevent our monarchs from harm. If we are not fast, the enemy will probably threaten to kill Harkinian and Leah or hold them for ransom. Due to our predicament, I must ask you members of the royal court to sanction my plan."

Zelda was not comfortable with that. Gaepora, still without a shirt, was acting a little too calm and simple for her liking. Farore's Wind! Malevolent forces just took over Hyrule Castle! And they did it in the middle of the night with the aide of her own guards that some wizards had somehow managed to possess and turn against Hyrule!

Nevertheless, there was a mutual agreement that the general was right. From the castle, the party spread out and got provisions from Castle Town and warned the inhabitants to be wary of any soldiers acting strange; however, no one said anything to the denizens about the castle being currently controlled by evil forces. The royal court did not want to put the capital in a state of alarm, for they believed it was a small issue—a stroke of bad luck. And they were fools to think so. Zelda was perhaps the only one that was aware that it could well be the return of the Great Evil, whatever form Demise's hatred was in.

Gaepora and several lesser figures dispersed to round up some knights to quickly reclaim Hyrule Castle before the ordeal resulted in mass hysteria. The slight glow of a fire on the east side was already noticeable from the town. Zelda, Impa, Phillip, Link, the fairies, and the Resistance settled down in a small cafe that the owner Anju had been gracious enough to open up for them at such a bizarre hour.

Skeptical as to what was going on to cause the nightly disturbance, Anju asked, "For what am I entitled to this rare visit of our Princess Zelda?"

Impa explained before anyone said too much, "The castle has been compromised, so we have removed her from the threat."

Anju observed the Resistance and Link and seemed to have an expression that said, "Whatever, I'm innocent." Impa offered to stay up with the warriors while Zelda and Phillip got back to sleep, but the princess was too worried to get any shut-eye in that obscure cafe. The royal court was scattered across Castle Town not bothering to let the nation know about the state of emergency.

"This is stupid." Zelda was not going to stand the lack of action any longer.

Phillip was angry as well. "We should contact Castilla and the domains immediately. Whoever is controlling the castle guards has practically declared war."

Impa was also aware that all the mess was not a minor prank of mere wizards. "The attack was too efficient and the results too fast. I fear we have already lost this battle."

Navi and her fairy troop stormed through the jingling doorway. "Princess!"

Link stood up, and the Resistance drew their weapons. "What is it?!"

Navi was painting too hard to speak so Tael divulged how bad the situation was. "We were just at the main base outside Castle Town and all the soldiers there are possessed as well and ready to kill us!"

Spryte added, "Gaepora has confirmed that there are no more soldiers around here serving Hyrule. The general suggests we round up Hryule's leaders and head to either Kakariko or Mabe Village. If we still cannot locate any knights that are still on our side, the plan is to go to Zora's Domain."

Rusl mouthed some curses and Link grit his teeth until they hurt. Zelda's open mouth was a testimony of her shock.

"What about the castle? What about the king and queen—my p—parents?"

Shad knew from his intense studies that their current position put them at a huge disadvantage. "If the majority of the Hylian knights in the area are possessed as you say, we need to get out of here right this minute."

Impa picked up her longsword. "Definitely. Zelda, we must go. Shad, I need you to send your team to tell any prominent citizens to evacuate. Link, Prince Phillip, on me."

Zelda did not mind that Impa was taking command of the situation, but she felt sick at the idea of leaving her parents alone in the castle with wizards, Poes, and demonic former guards. It felt like a nightmare. No, it felt like the end—the return of the Great Evil!

Impa led Link to the streets of Hyrule where everyone was waking up and panicking. All of the sudden, lights began turning on from the tiny stores to the stately mansions. The only thing the people knew was that Hyrule was being attacked—and by its own troops.

To make matters worse, the stormy sky was bursting forth with lightning and wind. Soon, the rain came down in surplus, inundating the streets of Castle Town and making the people panick greater. Impa pushed her way through the crowds, one hand holding Zelda's, the other, a sword in case any guards showed up.

Impa saw Link and Phillip lagging behind and shouted, "Come on! Or I take the princess to safety and leave you behind!"

Impa had no concern for the former Castillians. Phillip and his guardian splashed their way through carts, carriages, and horses. Hyrule was in a wet mess. Everyone was trying to escape the wrath of the man behind the catastrophe. The vague shouts of scurrying peasants filled the air with tenseness.

"It's the return of a calamity!"

"Harrow, quick, help me with the orphanage!"

"Get the horses moving!"

"For Nayru's Love, leave that behind! If we don't get out o' 'ere, we're gonna be gonners!"

"This is black magic's curse I tell you! Our army would never willingly betray us."

"Who cares who it bloody is that is behind this attack?! They mean us harm and that's good enough a reason to flee."

Phillip managed to confide to Link while they were running, "I thought Impa said only the important figures were evacuating?"

Link had no idea why the whole of Castle Town was trying to make a run for it. The people were not only afraid that their fortunes were at stake, but their lives as well. It was not like it was Ganondorf's work—or was it?

Impa found Rauru and Renado working a makeshift underground railroad to get the people out of Castle Town.

Renado explained, "The possessed soldiers have got every major exit blocked; they are arresting everyone who dares try to escape enslavement. Fortunately, Owlan and the best of the knight academy forged a way out."

Castle Town was surrounded on all sides by a wall that only opened up at several guarded gates. The problem was those gates were manned by Hyrulean soldiers that were possessed. Renado led Impa and Zelda to a tall house on the very edge of the city. By climbing up to the roof and crawling over a wooden board, the knight academy had been able to smuggle the royal court and others out of Castle Town. It was ridiculously simple and alarmingly easy.

Link grabbed the hand of a boy around his age and hoisted himself over the wall. The young man acknowledged him with a handshake and said, "I'm Pipit."

After getting outside the wall, Impa gave a sigh of relief. Nearly everybody in the royal court had successfully escaped and was accounted for. But the ill-tempered storm was still drenching them cruelly, and there seemed to be no alternative but to walk to the next city where soldiers might be found that were still loyal to the crown. They only had a few hours of darkness left to do so before the enemy might sight them on the broad landscape of Hyrule Field.

Zelda sounded sorrowful yet determined. "I would never think that I would feel happy to leave the safety of the walls of the capital."

Impa revealed her own worries. "I never would have dreamed I would come so close to letting you get hurt, Princess."

Phillip was stuck on getting his countrymen to help. "We must contact Castilla and have them send over the army to help put down this rebellion!"

Gaepora did not see any way he could send a messenger to the Zoras, forget about Castilla. "All right, we have escaped the blade of our own army for now, but how does anyone propose we get out of here?"

On queue, the Resistance and some others came riding up on horses, among them Epona. Apparently they had returned to the castle with the help of some knights. But weren't the knights being controlled by wizards?

"Halt!" Gaepora took out his sword, prompting Link and the others to follow. "Shad, what under the sun has caused you to join these insurgents?"

The insult took the Resistance leader by surprise. "Why, General, I know not what you mean. These soldiers are not possessed; they helped us trick the bewitched ones into giving us these horses so we can escape."

Gaepora was not yet convinvced and kept his distance. "Nearly every Hyrulean soldier that was not killed this damned night has been fighting against us. What makes you think you can decipher between a possessed knight and and a loyal one?"

Shad responded with a retort. "By the color of his eyes! The bad ones have evil red in their eyes! Don't be so simple, General."

Link verified Shad's theory. "Excuse me, Sir, but when we escaped from the castle I saw a rebel knight enter into Zelda's bedroom, and his eyes were as Shad stated."

Renado agreed. "It is as I have been saying: our own army is being controlled by an outside force that obviously intends to take over Hyrule."

Gaepora sheathed his sword; it was evident that the Resistance was innocent of the treason he charged them with. "Fine. I just couldn't be too sure. I lost the trust I had in some of my best officers tonight." Gaepora shook the hand of the captain leading the small detachment of loyal knights. "It's good to have you with us."

It was time to put those animals to use. Impa mounted a black mare and helped Zelda get up.

"Everyone, double up on the horses, we do not have many."

Link and Phillip instinctively went on Epona together while the royal court divided into twos. Some people like Chancilor Cole and Tingle were small enough to ride with three. Rauru tried to light a small lantern to read a map, but the torrential rainfall put out any fires that dared to spark.

"Well, I suppose we can guess our way to Kakariko."

Seres, a self-educated astronomer, had a better idea. "I can see the Cross of Hylia constellation between those clouds; west must be that way." She pointed.

Gaepora pushed his stubborn horse to start. "Good catch. Let's move before the sun reveals our position." Or Stalchildren come out, Link thought.

The small caravan including the royal court, Link, Zelda, Phillip, the Resistance, and the few knights fled Castle Town so quickly that the princess felt like she was still having a nightmare. Was it all true? She had lost the castle and her parents, the knights of Hyrule were possessed, and she was abandoning her people without a second thought.

Hyrule was in trouble.

000

By morning, the band of heroes was in the safety of Kakariko Village. Exhausted from being up all night, Princess Zelda was sleeping in while the royal court decided their course of action. The mayor of the small town provided the federal leaders access to the courthouse as a temporary capital. Messengers were sent on the fastest horses to tell every corner of Hyrule and the allied kingdom of Castilla that the capital had fallen.

Gaepora was much obliged to find a division of veteran troops (free from the oppression of wizards) as well as a Zora volunteer squad in Kakariko. Hyrule would be needing every man it could find for the "Army of the Goddesses."

While the royal court was in session, the fairies were watching over Zelda, who had cried herself to sleep. Meanwhile, Link was trying to convince Phillip not to return to Castilla. When Zelda began to stir, Tatl nearly lost her cool.

"Why, good morning, Princess!"

Zelda turned over and sniffed once. "Tell me it did not happen. Tell me I am in the safety of the castle, and the king and queen are fine."

Realizing that the princess was in no mood for jest, Tael and Tatl left—some loyalty! Navi stroked Zelda's hair and did her best to calm her nerves.

"Everything is going to be fine."

"No it's not!"

Spryte fell out of the air from the sudden outburst, but Navi was determined to cheer the princess.

"But Zelda—"

"Navi, will you shut up and listen for once? I am serious!" Zelda knew that what she said was unkind and unladylike, but she was tired of everyone saying everything was fine when it was not. "Stop staring at me like that and go get Phillip and Link!"

Navi did as she was told to avoid making Zelda's bubble pop. Zelda gave one of her pillows a good punch and proceeded to mouth insults to her stupid fate. Spryte, the only fairy with enough spunk to talk to the princess when she was in a very rare bad mood, offered a way for Zelda to get it out of her system.

"Something is very wrong, right?"

"You must be blind not to see that!"

The little pink fairy settled on a bookshelf and said nothing more until Zelda was forced to give in.

"Oh...what is your name?"

"Spryte."

"Well, Spryte, please excuse my poor temperament. It is simply..."

"What is it, my Princess?"

Only people that really liked Zelda called her "my Princess."

"You know about the Great Evil I am destined to stop with the aid of the Hero?"

"Yes, Link told me."

"Well, last night's episode was the cause of a deadly attack carried out by wizards. I dreamt about this disaster before it happened. This is the fulfillment of prophecy: we are confronted with a terrible war against the Great Evil we have been avoiding."

000

Impa entered the courthouse and interrupted the meeting of Hyrule's exiled goverment. She gestured to Auru behind her. "The Secretary has some striking information that you all must hear from the Resistance's recon mission on Castle Town."

Gaepora had assumed the position as head of the Hyrulean government in exile. "Auru, please report."

"Well, gentlemen, ladies, it seems that the legends we all know are becoming reality. Above Hyrule Castle flies an effaced version of the Gerudo flag, and there has been a declaration that Hyrule is under a new government. The possessed soldiers have forced the people to swear allegiance to the new leader. The so-called king has a whole contingent of minions working under him in the castle, and goes by the name Ganondorf. He claims he is a liberator and that he forced us, the 'bad' ones out. There are huge rewards for our capture, some of us dead or alive. Ganondorf specifically wants the princess. From the outside, it looks very much like he has usurped the throne and intends to rule Hyrule through force if necessary."

000 


	21. Strategy and Tactics

Chapter 21: Strategy and Tactics

It was plain to see that Hyrule Castle had been taken over by Ganondorf himself. Link and Zelda had to face the facts that now was the time for action whether they were ready or not. As for the rest of Hyrule, they had to prepare for war. The royal court needed to lead a unified, coordinated defense or assault, whichever the situation allowed. Method did not matter as long as the action was reasonable, for there are no rules in war.

Ganondorf managed to make it look as though he had liberated Hyrule from an "oppressive" regime. Using sorcery to keep the soldiers under his control, the despicable man was in complete control of Castle Town and the nearby villages. Ganondorf was able to beguile many Hylians into subjection by his claims to be able to stop the monsters. He directed the thousands of Moblins, Stalfos, Poes, and other awful creatures to only attack those people in Hyrule that questioned his authority.

Being such a large realm filled with differing cultures, races, and perspectives, Hyrule had a vacuum of power that was being rapidly filled by smaller forces. Since the fate of King Harkinian and Queen Leah was unknown, the only thing stopping the Hylians from bowing down to their new Gerudo king was their love of their former monarchs. However, there were many factions throughout Hyrule that saw the change of power as a means to implement their own desires. The domains, clans, ultranationalists, outright rebels, and independent villains all wanted to use the overthrow of the "old government" to promote their own agenda. Among them were lesser figures such as Dark Link.

Castilla had received the news of the cowardly attack upon the center of Hyrule and the resulting formation of a government in exile, but many Castillians desired to assume a policy of laissez-faire and let Hyrule deal with its own revolution and potential civil war. They believed it was a minor conflict that would perhaps bring about good change and maybe free them from their agreement to become a dominion of Hyrule. As soon as Castilla's position on the matter reached Kakariko Village, Phillip took a fit. He knew that the parliament did not exactly favor Hyrule, but never would he have guessed that they would refuse to assist in the fight with Ganondorf. Somethng had to be done. He petitioned Hyrule's royal court for permission to leave for Castilla in order to bring his country on their side.

"Castilla has attached itself to Hyrule and pledged to come to its aid if attacked. Just because this violent act came from the core and disguised itself as a peaceful rebellion, Castilla is in no way freed of its obligations to Hyrule's defense. I am convinced that I must return to Castilla immediately and tell my father the truth and influence him to use his power to go around the rest of the government's objections to war."

The new member of the royal court Sahasrahla, a Castillian by birth, cautioned Phillip that his personal appearance to the kingdom might not be enough to push the country to help Hyrule. Castilla had always been more lenient and open toward his younger sister Princess Hilda (a nationalist) and might not hear him out.

"Prince Phillip, will not the people of Castilla think you to be biased due to your close relation with Hyrule's monarchs? The Evil One has presented the appearance of being a champion of the people. He claims that he is removing the despotic rule of one family and replacing it with a better government led by himself—a hypocritical approach but his strategy nonetheless. Might not our freedom-loving kindred in Castilla be fooled by his facade? Will they not think that you are only wishing to save the royal family because you are betrothed to the princess? Will they think that you are seeking to claim the throne of Hyrule yourself through marriage?"

Phillip tightened his jaw and wished Sahasrahla would stop filling his head with doubt. He knew that it was the old man's job to give legitimate advice on the possible ills that might befall a particular course of action, but Sahasrahla was smashing his hopes with his bitting questions. On the other hand, he did make valid points that ought to be considered.

General Gaepora was not dismayed. "Sahasrahla presents a possible scenario, but considering the seriousness of the situation, I would be willing to try anything to get more armies on our side. Prince Phillip, even if you cannot change your country's opinion, I think it would be worthwhile for you to leave as you want to. Your departure will seem natural, though I am sure our enemy will exploit any action we take for propaganda."

Impa whispered something to Zelda and then asked, "Supposing the prince returns to Castilla, who will protect him on his way there? If we send our own troops, Ganondorf will order his minions to target him."

Being an honorary member of the Resistance, Auru knew a good solution. "Shad, I think you can do that, right?"

Shad readily agreed. "Certainly. We would be honored to escort the prince. No matter what position our government takes, we of the Resistance are on Hyrule's side and always have been. Returning to Castilla would be a great opportunity to round up all of our members. I have an elite force of near twenty men and woman ready to do special operations to help Hyrule. I am certian they will be determined to help in this time of need."

Impa pictured that as a good diversion. "We might be able to deceive that demon Ganondorf with this act. Think about it: Castilla has declared neutrality, so it only seems fitting that we send back all the people representing that kingdom. To the outside world, it will appear that they are leaving to avoid involvement, but in reality, the prince and the Resistance are going to try to get us help."

Renado characteristically found one hole in the plans. "If we want to give the impression that we are separating ourselves from Castilla, will we not need to send Sahasrahla back as well?"

Nobody had really taken a liking to the old man.

The eccentric senior spoke for himself. "Who am I to the world? I am nobody. Even in Castilla people just called me an 'old man.' No one would suspect me, for I look like any old senile person that dabbles in magic."

Prince Phillip seemed satisfied but slightly hesitant. "I suppose it is then settled. I would like to leave as soon as possible."

Link stood up but could not find the words to put on his tongue. He really did not need to speak to communicate his thoughts. Phillip knew what was on his mind.

"No, Link, you cannot come."

"But Phil—Prince..." Link's argument was hopeless.

"No, you are perhaps the most conspicuously Hylian person here...aside from the princess."

Phillip was right. The two blonds had the pointiest ears in the land and the fairest hair and skin. Such people were only bred from one race: the purest of Hylians. Ganondorf would kill them with complete satisfaction.

Impa again assumed her motherly role. "Link, you have a duty to Hyrule that is far from finished. It is your responsibility to defeat this usurper and protect the incarnation of the Goddess 'till death. In honor of what the king and queen would want, I cannot allow you to leave."

Link, Zelda, and the prince exchanged sorrowful glances but knew they were cornered. The royal court did not have time to hear their inconsequential feelings; they had a war to organize that required gaining the support of the dominions through diplomacy. Gaepora dismissed Link and asked that Phillip and the Resistance set out for their errand to Castilla. Phillip was leaving, perhaps for good. Events were unfolding too quickly for Link to follow.

000

Impa, Link, and Zelda exited the courthouse while the Resistance prepared the animals and supplies for the journey. Phillip seemed grieved until he managed to get Link's attention.

"Link, here and now I must relieve you of your position as my guardian."

Link begged, "Phillip, please..."

The prince remained hard and snuffed out the fire burning in his chest. Leaving Link and Zelda to face the monster Ganondorf alone was not admirable in his view, but he had his job to do just as they had theirs.

"No. You heard what Impa said. You belong to Hyrule and...to Zelda. You two are not ordinary people. You are a Goddess and her Hero."

Impa saw maturity in Phillip as he bade farewell to the closest friends he would ever have. Phillip was a lot like Link and Zelda in that he knew how to hide his hurt when duty called.

Phillip hugged Zelda and addressed her intimately. "I have been betrothed to you for as long as I can remember, but only recently did I realize how lucky I am. I will never be able to surmount you Zelda, but I love you and pledge myself to you. If I ever return from Castilla—if we manage to live to see this thing through—if good will truly triumph over evil, I give my word—I promise to come back for you."

Zelda sniffed a tear back and whispered words of comfort, love, and good-will to his ear. Phillip let her go and took Link's outstretched hand.

"Link, my faithful knight, for years you served me with utmost respect and care. I was always a boy of meager abilities compared to you, yet you treated me as an elder and a comrade. I thank you for the service and friendship you provided me and how you influenced me to become a better person. I will never forget you."

Phillip surprised his guardian with a brotherly pat on the back and hearty handshake. As he grabbed Link's left hand and saw its faint Triforce mark, he remembered the lessons of his father King Hubert. Swallowing the torturous urge to give up, Phillip tightened and performed what he ought to do.

"Sir Link, I hearby relieve you of your allegiance to Castilla and personal attachment to the crown's family. Upon my words, you are no longer a guardian of the royal family. However, I give you your freedom with the understanding that you will be serving another." Phillip rotated his eyes to Zelda. "You must serve Hyrule and foremost, the princess. You must swear it in the fear of those watching over us."

Link kneeled and gave a solemn oath that he intended to carry out to the fullest: "In the fear of Hylia, the Golden Goddesses, Castilla, Hyrule, and respect of those here, I swear to serve Hyrule and firstly Princess Zelda. I will protect this country and all its inhabitants from the evil plaguing it and free the land from its misery. I will fulfill my role as the Hero and help the Princess of Destiny seal away the Great Evil once again."

Link's words applied to much more than his simple transfer. In a sense, he was promising to save the world or at least die trying. He was finally outwardly accepting his destiny. Perhaps he would regret further embracing such a life, but it was all for the best. Sometimes doing what was right was not what was best or easiest for Link.

Since the Resistance was ready to leave, Phillip said his last words. "By this agreement, you are now Zelda's guardian and not mine. I expect you to live by this oath if you truly think anything of me, Link. Lady Impa, you are our witness." He added with faltering speech, "Please take care of them."

The prince joined his escort (the Resistance) and gave one short wave before leaving Kakariko without yielding to the temptation to run back. Shad, Ashei, and Rusl, rode alongside him desperately hoping Ganondorf would let them through Hyrule and across the border. They were relying on providence to present them as noncombatants fleeing the battleground.

Impa expressed her worry out loud. "I really hope Ganondorf's minions will leave them alone, not only for their sake, but ours too."

Coming out of the courthouse, Renado led the royal court with a scroll containing their recent decisions. He accidentally answered Impa's question by reading the paper.

"Hyrule's government in exile declares itself removed from relation with Castilla. All parties of or representing the aforementioned kingdom have been sent to proceed beyond our borders. In the war brought upon us by the dastardly rebellion in the castle, these individuals take no part. Any persons assaulting Castillian lives or property will be subject to condemnment under international law."

Impa quickly turned around. "What is all that about?"

Gaepora told her with a scheming grin on his face, "We have decided to publicly renounce our our partnership with Castilla in order to assure that the prince gains safe passage."

Impa questioned that approach. "Are you sure this will not affect any potential Castillian allies we may have?"

The general responded, "Indeed it will. The Castillian people that have grown to like Hyrule will feel insulted by our harsh reaction to their indifference. Perhaps they will start a campaign to champion the cause of joining us in this feral war."

Gaepora winked mischievously. The royal court was playing a dangerous game pitting their own ally against them in paradoxical hopes of guiding Castilla to the right side. Impa walked away with the general and the other secretaries and warned them to be careful. It was Hyrulean tradition to excessively argue about every plan before it was enacted in order to ensure the best course of action was taken.

Link and Zelda stood outside the abandoned courthouse with only the day-to-day activities of Kakariko surrounding them. It was impossible to look on that peaceful town and believe that a great war had begun the night before. Time seemed like it was slowing down, trudging through the malice of Ganondorf's presence. Especially for Link, who had recently used time travel, everything was happening either too fast or painfully slowly since his fight with Maleficent.

Kakariko Village had a pleasant combination of rustic yet prosperous, small industries. The welcoming community had all the necessities of life and were self-sufficient. Rolling farms surrounded the city and kissed the horizon with fields of billowy grains. The courthouse stood at the center of the town, and its tall clock tower was visible from afar. That old brick palace of law had been in disuse until the royal court gave it a rebirth of purpose in the morning they arrived.

The famaliar scent of baking barley loaves entered Link's sniffer and reawakened his ravenous apatite. The lack of sleep during the night and the constant flow of adrenaline from yesterday's battles had weakened Link and made his own needs forgotten. Gosh, he still had a raw wound from those damn Stalchildren! But nothing could stop the boy; he would persevere until he breathed no more. As he observed the children go tumbling out of the schoolhouse, he felt an urge in the pit of his stomach to protect the citizens from the abominable ravage of Ganondorf.

Zelda made eye contact with him and shared her own immense sorrows. "We will have to leave Kakariko tonight. It would be unjust to subject the inhabitants to a siege. Besides, there is no way we can hold out with such a small army. Ganondorf knows the royal court is here and will use our weak state to his advantage. I am sure he must be as unprepared as we are though. Did you hear about all the independent resistance movements?"

Link shook his head to say yes, but his thoughts were far away. Zelda had had a minor breakdown in the morning when she realized that their enemy was indeed Ganondorf, perhaps the worst form of the Great Evil to deal with. Link had left her to the fairies and spent the early hours of the day elsewhere. He har tried sleeping but could not find inner peace. To make use of himself, he had helped a local chicken farmer named Kafei round up his cuccos and had got aquainted with the Hylian soldiers and the one Zora volunteer group that currently comprised Hyrule's skeleton army.

Zelda had suggested the title "Army of the Goddesses" for the regular troops still serving under the crown, and immediately the royal court made it the official title of their forces. The government made a decree to Ganondorf and all the undecided parties around Hyrule that the Army of the Goddesses was the legitimate protector of Hyrule formed by the royal court itself. The militia was led by Gaepora and rallied around the Hero, Link. No mention was made of Zelda though, for her location was unknown to Ganondorf as of yet. Since she was a Triforce holder, it was imperative that she was prevented from being captured.

"Link, are you listening?"

Link jumped a bit. "Sorry, Princess, I zoned out for a second."

Zelda wished he would call her by her name, for she had no patience for formalities.

"Well, anyway, I was saying that many leaders around Hyrule have voiced their opposition to this change of hands in the government. The Goron chief Darunia, for instance, got his brotherhood to sign an agreement that they will not listen to any of Ganondorf's demands. They still fully support the old regime. That Gerudo demon is going to find that we are not his only enemy. Even the monarchy's old political foes want him dead."

"But what about the king and queen?"

Zelda's short-lived optimism crumbled into a solemn expression. Her calm sapphires became hazy and her hands clenched into fists. How dare anyone lay their filthy fingers on her dear father and mother! The world's worst demon had them in his possession, and all she could do was flee.

Zelda said gravely, "We must pray for my parents' safety. There is no other way we can help them out of the torture Ganondorf must be putting them through."

"But what if Ganondorf decides to use them as a means of intimidation?"

Link was not making it easy for the princess. Did he not know what was required to wage war on a demon? Zelda turned her head to eye Link, making her locks of hair fly with centripetal force.

She frowned intolerantly and rebuked him severely. "Must I reiterate that we are confronted with an outright war against the most feared adversary in our world's history? All risks must be taken; all effort must be centered on one goal: defeat Ganondorf no matter what the cost is. Sacrifices will have to be made."

"But surely there is some way to—"

"There is no way. Ganondorf has the king and queen—my parents—at his mercy and there is nothing we can do about it," Zelda stated coldly, hiding the regret she had.

Link blurted out without thinking, "I would not mind if I died trying to free them." He was so simple sometimes.

Zelda nearly resembled Impa with her narrowed eyes. "Death is not a privilege you are not entitled to."

The Hero was not outwardly affected. "That is a grim way to put it."

"Link, you must kill Ganondorf if you have to use the last Hylian's sword to do it. It would be better for you to let all but one of us die, then to leave our nation in the hands of a demon." The princess put her hands on her hips. "Oh, I might as well tell you what it comes down to: if Ganondorf kills my parents, so be it. We cannot jeopardize our chances of winning."

"That sounds a little heartless," Link said softly.

Zelda burst out with a strident note. "Perhaps it is, but I bear the weight of a kingdom and an obligation to Hylia to herself! We must be ready to give all for the cause. You must be ruthless, Link, it is the only way. You must master your Triforce. You must prioritize your duty beyond everything. You will need every bit of courage in your veins if you are to succeed."

Link rubbed the back of his neck. "I suppose it is wisdom that gives you this point of view."

Link and Zelda sounded like they were arguing, but they were actually offering a sort of self-examination test to each other. Zelda was still a little insulted by Link's words though.

"I never said that."

Link added, with a bit of an indignant attitude, "Are you sure? I would guess that you should know. You can see the future."

Zelda was unsure where Link got that idea. "I will admit that I have had visions, but I am not a fortune teller."

"But you spoke to me yesterday too. In my battle with Maleficent, I heard your voice tell me to throw the sword." Link's usual lack of words was being counteracted by his probing inquisitiveness.

Zelda admitted, "Yes, I have the gift of telepathy, but I still need to master that talent. But how does this—what are you trying to say?"

"You have magical ability that would scare me coming from anyone else, but now I see that we will need all your powers and any skill I supposedly have." Link became serious and vulnerable and promised, "Princess...Zelda...we might not always see eye-to-eye, but I am ready to follow you to death. I want this Ganondorf dead the same as everybody else, and I know that we are the only two in the world who can do just that."

Zelda's expression softened slightly and color returned to her cheeks. "Yes, Link, we must be one in our fight."

"I am with you until the end; I swear it, I swore it, and will keep on swearing it."

For a moment, Link forgot who Zelda was. He did not see the sixteen-year-old he flirted with in Kokiri. He did not see a princess of a grand kingdom. He did not see a person that has all the cares of the world. He saw Hylia, and that vision blinded him with a devotion so strong that all the magic in the world could not break it.

"Your Grace, you are the action, and I am the reaction," he stated mechanically.

Zelda looked like she was trying to hide herself, but it was not like the air was going to suck her in.

"Link...do not call me that."

The Hero managed a friendly raise of the eyebrow. "Why not?" Link was in a daze.

"I have Hylia's power, but I am not a goddess as some like to say."

Power? Great Hylia, Zelda was seeping with power! As Link stared at the girl next to him, his eyes played tricks on him as he envisioned her using all sorts of magic. Her whole body seemed to give off an aura of light. In Link's perspective, there was no Princess Zelda there; there was only the Goddess Hylia.

Zelda soon became self-conscience from his scrutiny. "Link, why are you staring at me like a madman?!"

Link's vision exploded like a cloud of smoke and again he saw Kakariko and Zelda, a beautiful blonde whose darling expression was irresistable to any warm-blooded adolescent boy. For the sake of Link's health, it was better for him to see Zelda as the Goddess Hylia, not a blossoming young lady. Link could not explain why he was staring at the princess. The only trueful answers he could give were "because you are a goddess" or "because you are extraordinarily attractive." Neither afforded him any refuge from embarrassment.

"Excuse me, Princess. I was daydreaming."

Zelda dismissed his strange behavior and remembered her responsibilities. "Well, Link, I must go see what Impa and the royal court are up to. I am the only sovereign here after all."

Link nodded and made to follow her, but she stopped him.

"There is no need to accompany me. I am certain we are safe in this village at least for the moment. Why not go enjoy yourself while you can? We are leaving for Zora's Domain tonight, and this will be your last chance to spend some time alone. Once Ganondorf's forces become truly mobilized, there will never be a moment we can rest."

Link consented and went on a small tour of Kakariko. He bought himself a well-deserved meal and gobbled it down without any hesitance. After a quick stop at a supply shop and a restocking of his arrows, he entered an old temple and observed the ancient mosaics and writings there. It was in that building that Link met a strange character that led him to an awful, awful place.

000

In Hyrule Castle, Ganondorf was living the life of a king. He had immediately set up a new government made up of his most loyal minions. A strange mixture of harmless monsters, foolish Hylians, and foreigners acted as his servants, while the castle guard was none other than Harkinian and Leah's knights: the noble soldiers of Hyrule that were now possessed by the power of dark magic.

Ganondorf was abstaining from his usual ruthless methods in order get many Hylians to accept him. The tactic was working quite well, for the dominions and Castilla opted not to actively support the exiled royal court. Ganondorf had prioritized kidnapping Zelda above the king and queen, but his ill-equipped forces (mostly Poes and possessed soldiers) were unable to carry out that essential part of his plans in the night attack. Still, he was resolute on seizing control of all Hyrule's former possessions, princess or no princess.

Ganondorf, more jolly than normal from slight intoxication, was celebrating his swift capture of Hyrule's capital. His erupting voice was unquestionably the deepest and most fearsome in the world.

"Twinrova, before long all of Hyrule will crumble before my attacks that will strike like lightning. Those that are left will cry to me for mercy, but I will show them none." He emphasized his point with a inward pull of the fingers into a fist, a cage, a place of perdition.

Ganondorf had long forgotten his real mother Aveil; instead, he had a Gerudo witch named Twinrova for his adviser. Ganondorf treasured her like family and confided in her his secrets, desires, plans, and feelings (if he had them). It was arguable whether Twinrova was really one person or two because she was a talented witch who could split into two distinctive persons named Koume and Kotake. There was nothing like her dual-nature in the sphere of magic, and even the Demon King himself did not understand her bizarre ability.

Twinrova carefully plucked a grape from an enormous platter of delicacies and ate it gingerly. "I am confident in you, but do be careful Ganny. I was speaking with Ghirahim today, and he said that this kingdom is crawling with armed forces."

Among those serving Ganondorf willingly was Ghirahim. The Demon Lord had given up on returning back to the era of Demise and decided to instead join forces with a deadly form of Demise's endless hatred. Ganondorf took Ghirahim in without a second thought and decided to make him his second in command for his loyalty. However, the two of them lacked good connection because they held different perspectives. Ganon was simply evil: he wanted complete control no matter what the cost. Ghirahim was a little more weird and pitiable: he wanted his enemies to suffer, but at the same time he had a delicate, perfectionist system of thinking. Ghirahim had his own morals and held an unrealistic view of life. He always expected the best scenario.

Ganondorf frowned his red eyebrows just slightly. "Do not call me 'Granny.'" The witch gave an arrogant gesture of nonchalance and the Gerudo King questioned, "Who are these forces Ghirahim speaks of? Hallucinations or gross exaggerations?"

Twinrova did not care. "Don't ask me, ask him." She returned to her fruit that seemed to interest her more than Hyrule's treasury.

Ganondorf's delicate temper flared with a flaming burst of energy. He sat up from Harkinian's thrown and yelled out to his slaves, "Send Lord Ghirahim here now!"

The red-eyed Demon King paced once to the end of the throne room and back before the grey-skinned executioner arrived. Ghirahim entered dramatically and fell to the floor with a bow. Being one who was so helpless without a leader, the Demon Lord really liked to reverence his boss in hopes of making things easier for himself. Without raising his head he spoke with a hoarse whisper.

"My Master, you called for me."

Ganondorf sat on Leah's throne. "I did. Now you must explain yourself. Twinrova said you reported that there are numerous armies across this chunk of dirt called Hyrule. What sort of Bokoblin waste is this?"

Ghirahim stood up shakily and muttered too quiet for the Demon King's liking.

"Speak up you fool! Any commander that whispers his orders too low ought to be disemboweled." Ganondorf was referencing Ghirahim's new responsibility as lord of the monsters.

"Er, yes, uh...well, you see, today I took a small, uh, reconnaissance tour around Hryule and found a shocking number of independent, heavily armed bodies of fighters."

"Specify." Ganondorf and Link had one thing in common: taciturnity.

"Well, to start, as we all know, Castilla has declared itself neutral, but that is only its official decree. Backward Castilla has had a long history of unsteady government and there are many opinionated Castillians who take the law into their own hands. Several of their groups foolishly want to fight us."

Ganondorf offered no response, and Twinrova continued eating, only listening to amuse herself. Ghirahim decided just to continue what he best knew how to do: babble insane ramblings

"Then there are the dominions. The Gorons are decidedly against us and will definitely offer resistance if attacked. Meanwhile, the royal family of the Zoras has declared their domain to be an independent kingdom free from you and Hyrule. They will not attack us but will be a niusance to deal with when the time comes to subdue them. The Gerudo on the other hand are having intense negotiations among themselves. Many of them want to help you, since they have come to realize you are their king, but just as many want to help Hyrule's former monarchs. Their Chieftain Nabooru is trying to keep her people together by doing nothing politically; hence, the Gerudo are basically not a factor for the time being."

Ganondorf's face looked like he had just wasted another one thousand years trying to overrun Hyrule. "That is it?! You mean to tell me that you came here to tell me this? YOU FOOL! I already KNOW that Hyrule is made up of four races!"

To be correct, Ganondorf DID call Ghirahim first, but that did not save him from his Master's wrath.

"But, Sire, that is not all!"

"What?!" the king shouted back.

"I have only begun. There are many others you should know about."

Ganondorf reduced his boil to a steady simmer and calmed down again before he spoke.

"Proceed."

Ghirahim searched his pockets. "Where was I? Hmm...oh, yes! Sire, Many characters from the dark realm that you might be famaliar with are prowling around Hyrule with a terrible thirst for power. That god Vaati is here. I sense Dark Link's presence. Yuga, a half-crazed sorcerer was seen in the southern mountains. Cia is at the wreck of Maleficent's old castle and wants to follow in her footsteps. Her actions have resulted in a minor civil war in the Wastelands to the east of Death Mountain. It seems that Cia's archenemy Lana has engaged her in a monster versus monster war. Also, I might add that the Oracles Nayru and Din have condemned us and nearly everyone else involved for our disruption of time." Ghirahim paused to hold his chin. "Let's see what else... Well, there are an alarming number of dragons flying about, and there is rumor that connection has been made with the long-forgotten Twilight Realm. That about sums up the major threats. Oh! But I cannot forget! The members of Hyrule's former government have announced that they have gathered together a force to fight us called the 'Army of the Goddesses.' Worst of all, an awful incarnation of that boy—Farore's own son of courage —that obnoxious pain in the neck called the 'Hero'—he is with them."

Ganondorf was unsure if he should laugh, break down the castle, or grab Ghirahim's neck and twist it. What kind of nonsense was the demon of diamonds referring to? Ganondorf steadied himself but really believed that the Demon Lord had lost his brains.

"Vaati? Yuga? A civil war in the wastelands? A connection to the Twilight Realm? An army of the DAMN GODDESSES!? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!?"

Ghirahim felt in danger and treid to explain, "But, my Master! All of this is true; I swear!"

Ganondorf pounded a table into oblivion. He had thought it was going to be easy. He had thought that after 563,000 years he finally had the princess and her knight screwed.

"I cannot fight against my enemies when there are twenty other forces standing around to stab me in the back! I want to conduct a war on Hyrule, not got wrapped up in a LINKING FREE-FOR-ALL! Do you realize what this means to YOU?"

Ghirahim croaked, "To me?"

"Yes, YOU! YOU are going to personally see to it that everyone of these outsiders is destroyed, subdued, or otherwise made to join our side. As for where you will start, have your pick! I don't care how you do it, just keep those imbeciles out of my hair! I need to focus on my power and killing that green bastard!" Ganondorf had many horrible names for Link. "Now get started!"

There was no need to press the matter further. Ghirahim bowed quickly and escaped the harsh tongue of his Master. He certainly had a workload to get finished in a tight schedule.

Ganondorf quickly became agreeable again and boasted to Twinrova, "I am going to wipe out every person in Hyrule who dares make any use of power."

The witch faked amusement. "I cannot wait to see you do it."

Ganondorf was such a delusional devil. Ghirahim and Link were the ones really tasked with destroying the powerful meddlers. They were going to do all the heavy lifting.

As for Link, that poor boy was sending himself into another trial of courage. In Kakariko, he met a weird man named Dampe who suggested he enter a deserted cavern that was situated nearby a graveyard.

000

Author's Note:

As for the geography of Hyrule, the captial (castle) is in the center. Zora's Domain is to the west. Death Mountain (the Goron land) is to the east. The "Wastelands" are to the far east. Castilla is to the north. Kokiri Forest is to the northwest. Gerudo is to the far northwest. The Great Sea is to the far west. The cold Tal Tal Mountains are to the south. 


	22. Level: 3: Labrynna's Labyrinth

Chapter 22: Level 3: Labrynna's Labyrinth

In the peaceful yet melancholy atmosphere of the graveyard in Kakariko, Link conversed with a strange man about some sort of tunnel. Link had met the odd fellow in a nearby temple and struck up a conversation with him about ancient tales. Being the village gravekeeper, the man shared with Link some things that only he knew about Kakariko. However, Link found it hard to believe his stories and thought the old guy was perhaps a bit senile.

The man was Dampe, a hermit who was quite hard to look at and did not have a very trustable face. He told Link a story revealing why the tunnel was underneath a cemetery, a place that people generally like to leave alone. Supposedly it was dug out many years before the ground above was made into a graveyard. Dampe said that many generations ago that "hole" served as a hiding place from monsters. Ironically, monsters were the ones inside the tunnel now. The underground labyrinth was a place to fear, not a safe zone.

The graveyard looked much brighter than the death it contained. The temple nearby cast a peculiar shadow over it. An opening in the void of the steeple where a bell was housed made a concentrated beam of light shine through to the plaque-ridden field below. The graves themselves were perfectly symmetrical and adorned with festoons and flowers from recent visits. Beyond, a brown barn sat on the empty farmland where only one or two trees were placed every couple hundred yards.

Dampe described to Link a whole puzzle of rooms below them, an underworld filled with monsters. According to legend, there were some mighty treasures down there too. Since the place was reported to be often visited by adventurous researchers, it sounded safe enough for Link to explore. But then again, how would such an expedition be of any use in the fight against Ganondorf Link wondered.

Dampe reached a level of excitement usually unknown to him. He spoke in an very strange way, usually referring to himself in the third person: "I hear tell that the tunnel is good to see. Dampe himself has not been there since the eleventh year in his seasons. Yes, there was a legendery hookshot down there that many children used to talk about. Many dares were made to go down there and face the Skulltulas," Dampe smiled in reminiscence, "but you already own a hookshot, so..."

The gravekeeper shrugged and picked up his shovel and went back to his house. He usually patrolled the grounds only at night. Apparently, Dampe thought that Link had no reason to explore the dungeon. But his description of the strange underground place had caught Link's interest. It sounded like an adventure that might have some worthwhile rewards for conquest. Perhaps Link could find the entrance if he searched hard enough? Where would be the first obvious place to look?

Link took a quick glance around him to ensure he was not being watched and then proceeded to lift the gravestones one at a time. On the third one, he saw a dirty old rupee and put in his pocket. He felt no shame in doing that. At least he had broken nothing to get it. Besides, every rupee he found would be put to good use.

Link faithfully continued searching through the graveyard. His efforts were not in vain. One of the graves was a dummy. Link lifted an unmarked stone and found a spacious entrance to a huge underground passage. He put a sword in his left hand, a shield in the other, and a bow and arrow on his back. Then he unwrapped his old rusted hookshot and made sure it was ready for use. Perhaps he could replace that old piece of metal with the other hookshot that Dampe said was down there. After making sure no one saw him deface the tombs of the dead, Link slowly lowered himself into the passage and closed the stone lid above him.

000

Skull Kid backed himself into a corner and prepared to face his end. Oh, why had he been so foolish as to enter that monster-ridden place without any means of defense? As the Stalfos in front of him lighted a bomb to try to obliterate the harmless creature, Skull Kid cowered in fear and tried to beg mercy from the bloodthirsty skeleton.

"HYAH!"

The Stalfos got rammed into the side of the cavern by a harsh blow and dropped its shield and bomb. Skull Kid's savior Link threw the sizzling explosive to the side and challenged the monster to fight him. Skull Kid did not remember the Hero and wanted to be sure he was on his side.

"Don't kill me, Green Guy! Get that monster!"

Link had little intention of harming the small brown fellow, but he planned to send that Stalfos back to the Dark Realm. Then again, Link knew little about Skull Kid; was he an ally or an enemy? Link was without a guide, for he had taken the privilege to enter that place without any fairy because he did not want any nuisances. Now no one was there to remind him what a Skull Kid was.

He told the little brown guy to stay out of his way. "Scat."

Skull Kid went back into his corner to hide while Link duelled with the skeleton monster. In between the cracks of his fingers, Skull Kid observed the two swordsmen clash with deafening blows. Despite the immense height and weight of the Stalfos, the battle was in the Hero's favor. Link used his own agility to counter his opponent's lack of speed.

After a lengthy series of blows and blocks, Link managed to sidestep the skeleton and hit it in the vertebrae. Link was a veteran when it came to fighting Stalfos and could easily win against any of them in a one versus one scenario. The Stalfos crumbled into bones and disappeared back to the Dark Realm. Since Link's standard issue sword was badly worn out from the battle, he took the defeated Stalfos' weapon. It sufficed for the time being, but Link really wanted a more durable blade like the Master Sword.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Ghirahim came out from the shadows and clapped his hands haughtily.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Link turned around to see that a famaliar enemy had been watching his battle with the skeleton. Menawhile, Skull Kid stayed in his corner and tried to look small and unsatisfactory to eat. The poor little guy did not know who to trust.

Ghirahim started his small talk. "I like your combat style. You keep a steady pressure on your opponent while waiting for an opening. You also rely on mobility and quick offensives while not taking much notice for your own protection. Such a strategy is likely to give you glory and send you down in flames. Yes, I guess I do see some faults."

Link frowned and held up the Stalfos' sword to challenge the Demon Lord. He would love to finally end these wasteful visits of his. Ghirahim's feelings toward Link had changed somewhat ever since Ganondorf came on the scene. Now he saw Link as a boy ill-fitted for his role and perhaps too naïve to take advantage of. Ghirahim wanted Link's death to be quite a show—the end to an epic conflict. He did not want to kill him in some remote dungeon.

Ghirahim tried to buy time. "Will you talk for a bit, boy, or would you rather have me deplete your spleen until it is thoroughly dried?"

For being so particular, Ghirahim certainly liked his graphic metaphors.

Link uttered one command: "Leave."

Skull Kid knew this was not going to end well, but Ghirahim was reluctant to start a fight.

The demon scoffed. "I seriously doubt you can make me."

Link gave in to Ghirahim's taunts and threatened, "Leave now or you won't be able to. Kakariko is filled with your enemies."

Ghirahim pretended that that was news to him. "Oh, really? You should keep such sensitive information to yourself. After all, I have been promoted to be His Majesty Ganondorf's top commander. I am sure he will be interested in your 'large garrison' here. But as for me, I could care less. Teleportation is my speciality. I won't be getting surrounded any time soon."

With that said, Ghirahim disappeared and then reappeared next to Skull Kid. He poked the little creature with a tiny kick, causing Link's fury to multiply several times.

"Tell me, little green Fairy Boy, what is this dismal imp doing here? Ought someone so 'important' as you associate with such a low creature?"

Link ran over to defend the little fellow. "Touch him again and die!"

Ghirahim responded by teleporting again to a place further away. Skull Kid was scared through and through and surely regretted entering the nightmarish dungeon. Never again would he be so foolish.

"So anxious to die, aren't you, Link?" Ghirahim finally addressed the Hero by his proper name.

The creepy rasp of a red-eyed impostor intervened, "No one is going to be killing Link on my time; he is only for me to touch. Now get away from my property, you Demon Dog!"

The Demon Lord was surprised to see an old rival. "Dark Link? What are you doing here?" Ghirahim was at a loss as to how he was going to adjust to such an intrusion on his plans.

Link glanced at Ghirahim on his right and his Dark Shadow on his left but determined that neither side was respectable enough to join. He certainly had a mess on his hands now: a "Linking free-for-all." Skull Kid pulled on Link's pants in a way that appeared to ask for protection.

Dark Link wanted Link for himself. "I'll give you just three seconds to get your ugly face out of here, Ghirahim, then you're a dead demon."

"I don't believe you know my resolve, Shade. Not only is my own hatred for you greater than ever, but you're also on a list of people I have been told to subjugate, liquidate, or otherwise remove from a level of power that is threatening."

Dark Link's contorted face was hidden by his dark body. "You bet I'm threatening, now move it, Sicko."

Shade unsheathed his sword, which was a replica of Link's Stalfos Sword. Somehow that dark version of Link always had the same weapons that the green boy did. If Link picked up a sword, Dark Link would automatically have a copy of it. It was a strange magic that somehow linked the Hero and his Shadow. The two of them were connected by some form of sorcery.

Without a means of escape, Link and Skull Kid prepared to watch the two dark beings fight. It was probably best not to intervene with a conflict between two evils. Why not let one bad guy kill the other?

"Freeze, both of you."

A distinctly Sheikah man came on the scene from nowhere and surprised everyone in the dungeon. He had white hair, red eyes, a partial face mask, and a skin-tight blue bodysight with the Sheikah eye on the chest. His body was extremely well-toned; his muscles popped out like a diagram of the human anatomy. He was quite perplexing to Link, who had always been told that Impa was the last Skeikah around. Ghirahim and Shade forgot their differences for a second and paid attention to the intruder.

Ghirahim questioned, "Who are you, presumptuous man who hasn't the bravery to show his own face?"

The newcomer answered calmly with a high voice, "I am Sheik, a warrior of Hyrule. Please remove yourself from my presence, or I may be forced to use my powers on you."

Dark Link cracked up laughing. "Get lost, moron, we have an argument to settle and ain't gonna' bear your nonsense!"

The Sheikah man calmly replied, "Have it your way." Sheik held out his hand and began to assemble a mass of blue magic.

Ghirahim knew what was coming and decided against resisting. Why not let Sheik kill Dark Link for him?

Ghirahim excused himself. "Oh, Shade, um...we'll have to continue this later." The Demon Lord then took the opportunity to teleport far away from the dungeon of Labrynna.

"Ghirahim, you—what the—"

As Dark Link spoke, the blue light from Sheik encompassed him in electric current and coerced him to give up.

"Damn it, I'm out."

The doppleganger of Link slowly faded until no shadow was left.

The shadowy room of the dungeon suddenly became quiet as Link and Skull Kid took a moment to study Sheik to see if he was friend or foe.

The mysterious young man spoke up, "Hello, Link. I hope no one got hurt."

Sheik's face, or what was visible of it, was pleasant and friendly. He seemed to be a compassionate warrior that fought for principal. Link really had no reason to trust him, but the alternative, to fight him, seemed impossible for some supernatural reason. Link believed that the man was truthfully on his side and perhaps would be a helpful comrade.

Skull Kid at his feet, Link addressed the Sheikah man. "Greetings, stranger. For Hyrule?"

Sheik bowed and promised, "I am altogether for Hyrule and assure you that we seek the same goal."

Link sheathed his sword. "Good."

Sheik pointed at the little brown figure hiding behind Link. "Who is this little guy?"

Link began to respond but Skull Kid cut him off.

"I can speak for myself. I was only down here out of curiosity and hope of finding buried treasure. You can call me Skull Kid. I like to play hide and seek."

Link and Sheik shared a disguised chuckle. The little fellow was strange but certainly lovable. As for the treasure, Link intended to get that and was not planning on sharing. Of course there was still the problem of monsters. Perhaps Sheik could help Link with any Stalfos that got in the way.

Link straightened and stated, "Well, I am going to see what there is to see. Either of you are welcome to join me."

Sheik agreed and seemed a little too comfortable for Link's liking. He had only met the guy a minute ago and yet the undercover Sheikah was already acting like an old friend. Skull Kid, however, had seen enough of the horrors in the dungeon and wanted to leave.

"I think I am satisfied with what I have seen. I'd prefer to do something else; I don't feel like continuing this exploration anymore. Thanks for saving me. Maybe I can see you again some time, Link."

Sheik voiced concern, "You're sure you'll be fine?"

Skull Kid was positive. "Yes, Stalfos usually can't catch me. I was unlucky."

The brown creature was visibly tense; he did not trust the mysterious white-haired creep with red eyes known as Sheik. He managed a skaky smile to Link and then put some comical shoes on that looked like a jester's and took off running with his tiny lantern jingling. His speed was probably a surprising marvel to Link and Sheik. It was quite unbelievable how fast that little guy could run.

Afterwards, the remaining duo pressed further into the dungeon. Link and Sheik were an excellent team. They cleared dirty rooms of minor enemies such as Skulltulas and Gels and found keys along the way that unlocked entrances to other rooms. They could find no treasure, but they did come across some things that were quite strange.

Sheik held up a badly decayed piece of paper with a scribbled code on it. "Link, take a look at this."

Link put his shield back on his back and walked over to see what it was. "What's it say?"

Sheik read the meaningless characters, "capital w, s, period, g, capital h, n, hyphen, j, six, forward slash—"

"Let me see that!" Link snatched the piece of paper out of his hand.

"Hey!" Sheik was going to take it back, but he decided that he best not anger Link when they were just starting to get along.

Link read the heading, "The Secret to Labrynna...hmm...this looks important. I had better show it to the princess. Sorry, buddy, but unless you want to introduce yourself to the exiled government, I'll be keeping this for you. If anyone can decipher this, it is Princess Zelda."

Link realized that he said something that should be kept to himself. "...did you know?"

Sheik rolled his eyes out of utter annoyance. "Yes, yes I know the princess is here. And, no, I simply cannot speak to your superiors. Just take the paper." He added under his breath, "I'll have to look at it myself later."

Link tried to clear the air of tension. "I found a giant key that I think will open that huge metal door we passed earlier. Something tells me the treasure I have been looking for is inside there."

Sheik brushed the dust off his body. "Let us go then."

The Sheikah man followed the green-clad sixteen-year-old with crossed arms. He was irritated by Link's carelessness. Why was Link suddenly treating him so nicely and for no good reason?

Link inserted the key into the steel door and caused several wooden mechanical pieces to fall off. He pushed the creaky barrier open and gave Sheik a signal to be quiet. The room inside was totally dark. Link tiptoed in and bumped into something hard and big and it groaned. Sheik grabbed Link's lantern from him and lit it so fast that he must have used magic.

In the subtle lighting a large heap of metal became visible. It was an Iron Knuckle, an armored warrior that guarded the dungeon. It had no personality, no feelings, and no mercy. Because of its allegiance to Ganondorf, it was, practically speaking, the equivalent of a monster. It wielded a fearsome axe that must have weighed several hundred pounds. Its body was totally covered in protective armor of an eclectic oriental style. With so much weight, one would think it was like a useless heavy tank, but the mindless warrior knew every trick of the blade. It appeared to be impossible to kill without explosives or magic.

The armored beast rose to its feet and turned around to confront whoever had stepped foot in the most precious part of the Kakariko graveyard dungeon. A challenge awaited Link that was nothing like his former enemies. The creature underneath all that metal was smart and knew how to do one thing well: fight.

Link rushed in without thinking twice and started circling the Iron Knuckle at a distance just far enough to be out of range of attack. Sheik was going to yell at Link for not being cautious, but the presence of the enemy kept him quiet. He put his hand over his mouth, a strange gesture considering that his Sheikah garb already masked his face from the public. It was not like anybody was going to be insulted if his mouth were visibly open anyway, but instinct made Sheik do peculiar things that were engraved in him from childhood.

The Iron Knuckle kept his huge axe in the air, waiting for Link to come close enough to get a kill with a single blow. Remembering his victories over countless Stalfos, Link decided to use his freedom of movement to get around the well-guarded opponent. Link dove in for a hit, but the Iron Knuckle's reflexes were to fast. Link misjudged and got out of step. The ruthless tyrant brought down its axe hard, but in its haste, the warrior missed Link and instead struck the ground with a blow of earthquake proportions.

Link totally lost his footing and skidded to the floor, leaving him open to another blow of the axe. He reached for his shield in vain and pulled out a bomb to try to break through the Iron Knuckle's armor. As the axe was about to come down again, Link prayed that his replica of the Hero of Time's shield would save him.

Sheik stretched out his hand and sent a shining blue orb to the Iron Knuckle that froze it in action. The enormous warrior was embalmed with an electric current flowing over it—a perfect opportunity. Link sat up, threw his bomb, and shielded himself from the impact. The explosion broke Sheik's zone of control, but the Iron Knuckle's armor was blown to pieces as the axe went flying away. Link withdrew his sword and mercilessly struck the iron plates until he landed a vital hit to whatever supplied the warrior's lifeline. The Iron Knuckle fell apart entirely, leaving the treasures behind him free to be taken as spoils.

Link sighed once and stuffed his gear away until nothing bulged out of him. "Phew! I'm glad that's over! Why were you using magic?"

Sheik angrily retorted, "To save you from immediate destruction—that is why!"

Link crinkled his nose. "I don't like magic. You use it too much."

"I intend use it as often as is necessary!" Sheik leaned forward and crossed his arms.

"Suit yourself."

Link went over to a chest, an obvious container full of goodies. As he opened the lid, a bright light shone from within that called for extravagance. Link lifted up a metal heap of a machine and held it over his head with unnecessary drama.

Sheik was still bitter. "What is that silly thing?"

"A hookshot! I needed this badly; my old one's rusted through."

Link bagged the tool and laid his old rusted hookshot to the side for someone else. Upon seeing all the other wonderful things in the chest, he exclaimed with vernacualr words. Sheik became hopeful that there was something of great use in there.

"What is it?"

Link held up an old piece of forged glass. "There's so much stuff in here. Look! A bottle!"

Sheik scoffed. "Oh, come now, of what help will that be?"

Link's voice was muffled as he dove into the treasure chest. "That's not all. Com'ere."

Sheik sighed and stubbornly came to Link's side. Goddesses, why was the destiny of a kingdom on such a simple boy's shoulders?

"Hold this." Link handed him a boomerang, a map, some boots, a small book, and one music score.

Link checked the chest once more. "That's everything."

Sheik was holding stuff stacked up to his mouth and looked like he were about to collapse under the weight.

Link quickly came to his aide. "Oh, sorry! Let me take some of that off you."

Link took the items and somehow stored them away in his pouches. However, Sheik was still holding one item, the book. He had not even opened it because the stupendous front cover had him in awe. It had a picture of a brilliant sword and a succint title.

"The User's Guide to the Master Sword," Sheik read out loud.

Link questioned Sheik's current mental state. "Uh?"

Sheik stammered. "This pamphlet...says...that it is..."

Link snatched the book in question and squinted his eyes to read the title.

"Holy Zoras!"

Link licked his lips which had rapidly become dry. There was no need for him to continue any further in the dungeon. That book was exactly what he felt he needed.

"Um, I got to go Sheik. Thanks for all your help. Maybe I'll see you again some time?" Link quickly packed up and rudely rushed away without sharing his prizes with his comrade.

Sheik crossed his arms again and shouted rebelliously to Link as he was exiting the dungeon, "You're welcome, Hero!"

Having laid his hands on a gold mine, Link was going Deku Nuts, and Sheik was not very pleased to say the least.

000

The exiled government and its forces were preparing to leave Kakariko as soon as dusk fell. Because there was no way to hold the tiny village, Impa and Gaepora were going to take Hyrule's leaders and remaining forces to Zora's Domain. It was a risky move, considering that the Zoras had recently declared independence, but perhaps the personal appearance of Princess Zelda would convince the aquatic race to fight Ganondorf and not sit idle. The Army of the Goddesses already had one group of Zoras serving under them too. Also on hand were some Hylian regular forces that were untouched by Ganondorf and had been rearranged into three strong battalions.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, it was time to get moving. They needed the cover of the night to hide their retreat from Ganondorf's minions. After having intense arguments with the royal court all afternoon, Impa gulped down a quick dinner and went to find out if Zelda was ready to leave.

She knocked on the princess's room in Kakariko's best hotel. "Zelda, honey, are you all prepared to set out? We leave in five minutes."

No answer.

Impa knocked again. "Zelda! Open up!"

Impa pressed hard into the door and nearly fell once she realized it was not locked. She saw a large lump under the blankets of the bed and realized that the princess had not gotten much sleep during the night. She patted the delicate figure softly.

"Zelda, it is time to awaken. We must—"

Impa's hand fell into the lump in the bed. She frantically uncovered the princess's unoriginal ruse and found a pillow lodged in the thick bedding.

"Why you little—"

Impa was cut off by the unmistakable voice of the princess on the other side of the room.

"Were you calling me?"

Zelda was in her bathrobe innocently brushing her wet hair.

Impa put a hand on her hip and furrowed her brow. "Yes, I was! Now what is the meaning of this!" She pointed a wavering finger at the lump in place of where Zelda should have been.

"Oh, nothing important." Zelda sat down in front of a vanity and continued tending to herself.

Impa boiled over. "Nothing important?! Why did you want to decieve me and give the impression you were sleeping?"

"I was in the shower."

Impa let out a moan of exasperation. "Very believable—Zelda, stop messing around. I can't take any more grief than I already have. We need to get on the ball. No more tricks now, you hear?" Zelda shook her head in acknowledgment, but there was a dishonest smile on her lovely face. "Hurry and get dressed; we're leaving now; Link returned and says he would like to show you some important discoveries."

"I am sure he does."

"Yes he—what?"

Zelda dismissed any strange ideas that Impa was developing. "I will speak with him as we journey, Impa."

Barely satisfied, Impa left to remind the others to be ready to leave. "Very well." She did not have the time to find out what Zelda was up to.

The crafty princess put her brush down and observed her own face in the mirror and whispered to herself, "You're a conniving little schemer aren't you?"

She giggled and put a blue freshly washed bodysuit into her sack of clothes.

000

In Hyrule Castle, Ganondorf was growing stronger and preparing for his first moves. Freedom was quickly melting away in Castle Town as the iron fist of tyrannical rule became law. The Hylians who thought that Ganondorf was a liberator began to see their error a little too late. After the initial panic the night before, the capital was settled down somewhat. The main reason was that the possessed knights of Hyrule were practically barricading the people in their own city. The inhabitants had given up on escape and were forced to submit to whatever evil intentions their captor had in mind.

Ganondorf, still in the throne room with his favorite adviser Twinrova, revealed his next target. "The Gorons have openly shown resistance to my absolute rule. To set an example to the other races in Hyrule, tomorrow I will crush those brigands into the rocks they devour. None will be left alive. Much like the fabulous victory I enjoyed here, I will start from within and seize their leaders. Then a coalition of monsters and the soldiers from here will surround the mountainous region and kill all those who try to escape my wrath."

Twinrova prioritized her own wishes. "But what about our fellow Gerudo? Many of those women are loyal to you. I am sure we could easily start a coup and bring the Gerudo tribes that favor us to power. Then we will have a huge army on our side."

Ganondorf quickly explained, "I have contacted Nabooru, and she claimed she is doing all she can to hold her people together. She has displayed a willingness to avoid war: that is an expression of weakness. In Gerudo, there are those that favor the former monarchy, those that are undecided, and those who rightly recognize me as their king. Therefore, a civil war is unavoidable and will eradicate the unfaithful ones. The only thing missing is the trigger. Destroying the Gorons tomorrow will be this trigger."

Twinrova paused in thought for a moment and agreed, "You're a political genius. Once the Gerudo race sees what happens to those who disrespect you, many will join our ranks."

Ganondorf snapped his fingers. "Exactly."

Ghirahim entered the throne room, his clothes dirty and tattered from exhausting work across Hyrule. He fell to his one knee and seemed ready to cry.

"Your Majesty..."

Ganondorf was brusque. "Report."

Ghirahim began, "The only formidable magic-user I have been able to get to our side is a peculiar sorcerer named Yuga. The rest will require neutralization by force."

Ghirahim rubbed his red beard. "Too bad for them. Have this Yuga come to me immediately. As for the rest, have them eliminated quickly. Whenever possible, let the rebels fight each other."

Ghirahim nodded and got up to leave, but Ganondrof stopped him.

"Hold on. Before you go, first tell me what on earth you were doing in Kakariko Village today, the current center of my enemies' seat of power."

"Well, I, uh..."

Ghirahim went to Kakariko to speak with Link, but his efforts bore no fruit. He was trying to see if he could use Link to get rid of some of the other sorcerers, sort of like how Ganondorf had suggested to let the rebels fight each other. But Ghirahim knew he could not tell Ganondorf about his plans to try to use Link as a temporary ally; that would be outrageous. Instead, he spoke about the other characters he had met in the graveyard dungeon.

"Well, I met Dark Link there and have confirmed that he is spiritually attached to that boy."

Ganondorf had no idea what he was talking about. "What boy?"

"The so-called 'Hero.'"

Ganondorf frowned. "I would rather bear my archenemy's name than his unmerited misnomer."

"As you wish, Sire. Anyway, I met his Dark Shadow named Shade, and when I threatened, Dark Link became defensive of him and challenged me to fight."

Ganondorf said nothing, prompting Ghirahim to continue.

"A new character, going by the name of Sheik, intervened, so I took my leave in time to see Dark Link get sent away by some powerful magic from the Sheik fellow. I don't have the slightest idea who Sheik is, and I know nothing about him aside from the fact that he sides with Link. It seems we do indeed have a multiple-sided conflict on our hands."

Ghirahim was worried about clearing Hyrule of all the other dark magic users, but Ganondorf had heard something in his words that made him smile evilly. The Demon King chuckled until he broke out into hysterical notes.

Twinrova wanted to know what was so funny. "My King, what is it?"

Ganondorf calmed down and explained with a chortle, "Do either of you know who Sheik is?"

Ghirahim indicated negatively.

"Ghirahim, my loyal demon, you have made everything much easier for me to accomplish. Now I am sure that the princess is in Kakariko. This simplifies things greatly. I am convinced that she will be taking an active role in the 'Army of the Goddesses.' This calls for immediate action. Yes, I shall finally meet the latest incarnation of my foe and crush his morale with a method no one would guess in a million years. Yes, tonight I will surprise the princess and her knight with not a physical attack, but something that will break even an immortal spirit. If he falls, she falls, and Hyrule will likewise fall into my hands like a ripe fruit."

Twinrova reminded him, "But what about the Gorons?"

"I have not forgotten. Ghirahim, early tomorrow morning the witches and I will make a surgical strike on the Gorons. It will be your job to lead the minor forces and monsters in an encirclement of their lands. You can take Yuga with you. I will be sure to finish up my little visit to the princess beforehand."

Ghirahim hinted at a secret. "Your Majesty, will Agahnim be joining us again by any chance?"

Ganondorf said slowly, "Yes, yes, Agahnim will be the one who gets Darunia's head."

000 


	23. Sorrows of Time

Chapter 23: Sorrows of Time

From afar, the trail of horses, carts, and carriages could barely be seen flowing out of Kakariko Village. The Army of the Goddesses was escaping under the cover of the night to avoid confrontation with the oncoming monster hordes. Their withdrawal was orderly but decidedly hurried. In case one of Ganondorf's loyal minions were to spot the caravan and signal an attack,the royal court and the princess were well guarded by armed knights.

Zelda sat in an armored carriage with Impa, Link, and Gaepora. Despite severe lack of rest, none of them were trying to sleep with the horrendous thumping of the wheels below. Their minds were not at rest either. By morning the caravan would be in Zora's Domain uninvited. No doubt they were fretting what might happen, or rather, what might not happen. Even if the Zoras proved to be friendly, they still might reject Hyrule's request for assistance in the fight against evil.

Ganondorf, politics, monsters, personal interests, a rickety carriage—no, Zelda was not going to get much sleep that night anyway. Link was showing her the treasures he had fetched from the graveyard dungeon in Kakariko, Larbynna's Labyrinth. He was very enthusiastic and optimistic about his great catch. However, Zelda's lack of excitement over the matter weakened Link's spirit. The princess knew much more about the items than Link himself. Zelda acted as though she had already seen them. Perhaps she had.

Link and Zelda's relationship was still a little bit tumultous. Not everything had been running smoothly between the two destined ones, for their recent conversations had been heated. Even though Link and Zelda were growing closer in frankness and cooperation, the strain of collapse was making it difficult to be more than comrades, or more fittingly, a sovereign and servant. Ganondorf was certainly an incentive to put away childish feelings.

Zelda held the legendery pamphlet containing the history of the Master Sword. "Link, we are indeed fortunate to have come across these secrets. Finally we have a clue to as to where you will find the Master Sword."

Gaepora did not want to put his trust in fairy tales. "Princess, please do not worry yourself by relying on an ancient relic to win this war. I am aware that you have many fine powers with which to engage our enemy, and before long we will have great numbers of strength at our disposal, but magic is not a necessity. Young Link here is gifted with supernatural skill that will carry him through monster battles, even without the Master Sword alluded to in the legends."

Link ignored the general's uninterest and pressed. "Princess, can you decipher this?" He handed her the Secret to Labrynna.

Zelda studied the code but could not come up with anything. "I see nothing, but I believe it to be a key to unlocking something. Maybe it is a password of some sort."

Impa pointed to the other relics Link had brought with him. "And what about these things here?"

Link tried to hide the stuff out of sight. "Uh, just some old junk. Nothing important."

He tucked the potion bottle and boots away but accidentally dropped a tattered paper. Impa picked it up.

"What's this? Sheet music?"

"Yeah, it's a waste of time." Link tried to take the magical musical notes from Impa, but she moved out of his reach and read its title out loud.

"'The Song of Storms.' Doesn't that sound famaliar, Zelda?"

The princess simply replied, "I believe it was a tune the Hero of Time was imagined to have once used on his magical ocarina."

Gaepora shared Link's discomfort around magic. "I am sure we want nothing to do with any of the old Heroes' methods."

Link quickly agreed, "Yeah, the last time I tried playing one of his songs I...well, it is not worth our time."

Zelda immediately questioned, "You have experimented with this sort of music? How could you expect to get any results without an instrument of magical power?"

Link paused and then blurted out somewhat angrily, "Because I do have such an instrument."

He turned his face to the window and seemed greatly upset. Impa was taken by surprise and looked at Gaepora as though he would know what Link was talking about. The general's straight lips and tilted brow seemed to imply that he felt Link had betrayed him by fooling around with magic.

Zelda timidly inquired, "What is this instrument you have, Link?"

Link breathed forcibly through his mouth and obediently dug into one of his pouches. Without a word, he pulled out a stunning blue ocarina with gold embellishments and handed it to the princess.

The masterpiece reflected even the faintest lights brilliantly. Zelda laid her hands on the instrument as though it were an enormous diamond. Impa and Gaepora looked at each other questionably and seemed to be in awe of the perfect craftsmanship.

The princess began, "Oh, Link, where in Hyrule did you get this enchanting thing of beauty?"

Link decided it was time to surrender and reveal all he knew and all he had done. "Back in the day when I lived with Saria and the Great Deku Tree in the Kokiri Forest, I was given that ocarina as a present from the Forest Children. Supposedly they had been holding onto it for eons. They said it was a relic from the legends and that it contained magical power, but I never believed them. That was, until I found this."

Link handed Zelda the "Song of Time" sheet that he had acquired when he conquered the Tomb of Trials. Zelda stared at the discolored piece of paper blinkingly and realized what Link was implying.

Link assented. "I played that music on the ocarina, played it with no idea what the heck I was doing. I did not believe in magic. But by Farore, I payed for my lack of faith when I displaced myself into the future, which is the present for you." A gasp emitted from Zelda. "That's right. I'm here as a time traveller. It know it seems ironic that I arrived in perfect timing to experience the worst. All this chaos and confusion has been quite sudden for me. Anything before three days ago is just a blur." Link paused in recollection. "Of the six years I spent in Castilla, only a fraction of the time did I experience personally. The rest was stolen from my conscience by time travel."

Had it not been for the movement of the carriage, a deathly stillness would have overcome the listeners of Link's bizarre tale. Gaepora nearly reached for his sword as though he expected the Hero to turn into a demon or something. If what Link said was true, then he was practically as foreign as the monsters from the Dark Realm. He was—from the past.

Impa felt remorse for Link's loss. "I'm terribly sorry this happened to you."

Zelda simply could not accept the facts. "Link, how could—what ever made you—oh, you poor, misguided soul!"

Gaepora flipped sides and suddenly took the grand view of things. "Perhaps the goddesses in their wisdom saw it fit that Link should not live the fullness of his life. Maybe they wanted him to focus only on the climax of his momentous career. Perhaps you can share your thoughts, Link?"

The boy in green certainly did not feel like talking but he accommodated anyway. "Well, as for my possession of the ocarina, that was fate. But my finding the music that triggered the instrument's power was the work of a mysterious owl claiming to be an agent of the goddesses. In the process of time travel, I lost my years of service in Castilla, yet it seems I still made an impact; I just...didn't experience it firsthand." Link narrowed his eyes and looked out into the darkness surrounding the carriage. "The whole thing drives me crazy, and I can't understand it. I wasn't consciously experiencing my life, but then again, I strangely have a foggy memory of those years I skipped over with a portal of time. I—I would rather not talk about it and just pretend it never happened."

Link had more disappointment and experience with otherwordly things then Zelda would prefer, yet he seemed indifferent to his shortcomings. He lacked emotion, feeling, and simple Hylian nature. He seemed cold, bitter, and unapproachable. Was that the kind of character he needed to have to be the Hero? Was that the real Link, or was his attitude a reaction to all the pressure and responsibility he was suddenly facing? Was that the kind of character Zelda wanted him to have?

The carriage suddenly skidded to a halt as the horses jeered and screeched. Impa slammed open the door and allowed Link to jump out first and see what the trouble was. The sight before him was frightening to say the least. An ethereal red light shone over the front of the convoy, and all the soldiers had their weapons out. Something or someone was in their way and it certainly was not a natural barrier. Impa stepped out of the carriage while Zelda and Gaepora peeked out the window behind her.

Impa recognized that it had to be the work of a sorcerer. "Oh, Hylia!" She would pay many rupees to bribe the enemy into giving Link and the princess a break from all the evil magic of the world.

The red orb of light slowly moved over the armored caravan until it came to rest above the area where Link and Zelda were. As it did so, it spoke with a voice that only the Princess of Destiny could recognize.

"Hylians, it is I, Ganondorf Dragmire, the one born king of the Gerudo and destined to be king of Hyrule; I am the Demon King of old."

As the bright entity thus spoke, the troops began shooting arrows into the red mass that personified Ganon. However, their efforts were as useless as attempts to strike the sun.

Ganon reprimanded them, "Foolish Hylians, you cannot harm me in this form. This is my spirit, the immortal being known to you as Ganon."

As he spoke, Link thought he could see a face in the red light that began to showcase streaks of flaming yellow.

The Demon King uttered the worst lie in history: "I have come here on your behalf. Tomorrow, those loyal to me will annihilate the Goron hordes that continually efface Death Mountain and have refused to submit to me. None shall be left breathing by the end of the day. Lest ye agree to surrender and put down your weapons and serve me in peace, the same fate will come to you and all those that follow your wicked ways." Ganon had such a backward view of right and wrong.

The Hylian knights began to shout caustic remarks at the spirit of Ganon. One of them, a talented fellow and former castle guard named Alfonzo, challenged the Gerudo King to show himself.

"Look, lads, this monster does not even have the decency to submit his pleas under a white flag!" He spoke directly to Ganon, "How dare you come here and threaten us! We will never serve any other than the royal house of Hyrule. What makes you think we will heed a red orb that speaks archaic language and has such odious lust of power?"

Ganon calmly replied, "Hush, ye mortal, and I may save your liver as a bloody reminder of the common fate of all who disparage my name." He then proceeded to address his two Triforce partners. "You hiding in that carriage behind your knight—yes, you, Princess. I know that you can foresee the widespread misery and death that will be caused by the war you force me to make. I have no need to get messy. You know the facts. But I have something you do not. Namely, the former monarchs of Hyrule and the majority of the Hylian people only inches from my blade. Only you, Zelda, can prevent them from meeting with imminent danger. I am sure that in your wisdom, you will see that surrendering is the only way to save your race from extinction. You need only convince your subjects that it is better to live gloriously under me, than die vainly under you."

Zelda stepped up and was about to speak, but Impa held her back. There was no need to satisfy the crazy demon's soul flying above them.

Ganon directly targeted Link with his next speech of propaganda: "You, little one who is supposed to be the successor of my former enemies, I call on you to give up the insane task forced upon you. How could you, a mere mortal, a child, an amateur magician, fight me, the king of demons, sorcery, and power? I have heard it said that the memory of past encounters between your predecessors and me has given rise to false hope that you can stand before me even for a minute. But I must tell you the truth of the matter. No Hylian boy has ever defeated me; it was only the sword crafted by the Goddess that kept me out of your realm for the relatively small lapse of a few hundred years at a time. I know that the shining blue blade you depend on no longer exists, at least in its practical form. It consumed the last of its power a few centuries ago on some lesser god of the Dark Realm and no longer carries with it any sealing power."

In barely a whisper, Link himself responded darkly, "You base your argument on lies so thin that a fool could see through them."

Ganon did not try to defend his position but rather resorted to scare tactics. "Do you really want to resist? Then, I know it is you who is a fool, an easy target, and nothing like my match. You will never be like the self-proclaimed Heroes of the past without that sword. You fail to realize what agony and sufferring our wars have caused over the ages. That is because unlike I, you forget the past after every new incarnation. You do not have upon you the burden of the sorrows of time. I do, and that is why I want to end this pointless suffering. I can never be defeated, so it is only right that I win. Your princess can tell you that it is wise to take advantage of my mercy before it evaporates into bloodlust."

Link coolly replied, "Do your worst. We will never serve you."

Ganon rehearsed the words he had been dying to say since he first clutched the Triforce of Power, "Perhaps you need to know what horrors your spirit has already encountered in order to understand that I am omnipotent and will not hesitate to kill, kill, kill, all my enemies."

With that, the red mass of Ganon's spirit assembled into a burning ball of power, a frightening spectacle of sorcery. The orb became a bright red light that blinded Link's vision and earned many gasps from the onlooking soldiers. The untouched boy in green held up his shield, readied his sword for battle, and grit his teeth. No one could have guessed what was coming.

"BRRRR-ZAAAAT AND BE CURSED!"

Ganon's vocals shrieked distastefully and the red orb attached itself to Link with lightning speed. The poor boy was thoroughly surrounded in an indescribable, swirling mass of wizardry. After whipping his body and soul and shredding his clothing to shards of carbon, Ganon's spirit fled away, knowing full well that he must rest after using so much energy at once to attack Link's mind, body, soul, and spirit.

The air around the body of the Hero was smoking as though he had just survived a bomb blasting in his face. Nearly everyone, the guards and the royal court, came running with prayers that he was not dead. Impa and Zelda searched his tortured body for wounds, but to their surprise, he was relatively unharmed; however, his sword was turned to dust, his clothing was burnt, and his shield was utterly destroyed. Luckily he had left the rest of his gear behind.

Despite no outward damage, Link was coughing and gasping for breath. His face contorted in pain and mixed emotions that came suddenly and disappeared. His poor nose was both bleeding and running, and his eyes were so bloodshot that the whites were invisible in the darkness of the night.

Zelda grabbed him firmly and told him to concentrate. "Link, breath; you are all right! Just breath!"

For a few dozen seconds he continued acting like he was dying, prompting all the royal court members who knew a thing or two about medicine to try to help him, but his inward struggle was beyond their reach. As Link finally steadied his heart and breathing rate, Zelda tried to get him to talk.

"You are going to be perfectly fine. Ganon obviously discredited your stamina." Link made no reply and just stared into her eyes with a forlorn expression of trust. Zelda put her hand on his forehead. "Are you feeling better?"

Link again offered no reply but kept staring at her, thirsting after her comfort and seeing more and more Zelda in her and less and less Hylia. His actions made Zelda blush and turn her eyes away from contact with the blue windows into his mind.

Impa rebuked him, "Link, say something! Can you get up?"

Again, he had no response. Tears filled his eyes but would not escape them. He was experiencing sorrow of a level beyond human capability of understanding: the sorrows of all the ages.

Practical Renado suggested they move on. "Come now, someone help him get up so we can get going. We must get to Zora's Domain before sunrise."

Zelda still persisted and grabbed the remnants of his green shirt. "Link, speak to me!"

He offered a shaky smile but made no words with his mouth. Alfonzo and Impa lifted him up and supported his feeble steps into another carriage. His sheer dead weight shocked Impa, but she dared not say anything about how weak the Hero was. They laid him down in a thin bed upon which he found rest and drifted away alarmingly fast into sleep. Impa stepped out of the carriage and immediately got faced down by Zelda who demanded explanation.

"Well, what is wrong with him!? Why won't he speak?"

"Princess, please calm down. Ganon must have hurt him in some way, perhaps made him dumb for the time being. But Link will be fine; trust me."

Zelda was not at all satisfied. "No! I must see him! Something could be terribly wrong!"

Impa grabbed the princess's arm and stopped her from going to him. "Zelda, please. He is sleeping."

The princess only became more nervous. "What?! Sleeping already? You put him in there only seconds ago! He might die!"

Impa put her hands on top of her head with an exasperated "oh" and prepared for Zelda to start ranting. Renado whispered to Gaepora that they were ready to get moving, but the princess was holding them up. No one wanted to speak with the feisty girl though. The general decided to solve the issue of Link's affliction by volunteering himself to watch him.

He questioned first, "Impa, you put Link to bed with that blackened clothing? He will be chaffed all night."

Impa crossed her arms. "Well, I was NOT going to undress him! If you want to go in there and help him, be my guest. He is asleep and well. We have no need to fuss over him."

Gaepora snorted and resolved to give the boy any attention he might need for the rest of the night. It was unfortunate that the task fell upon the general because he needed rest too. But he cared for Link as his own son and would not put the Hero's life in jeopardy for a little sleep willingly.

Gaepora assured Zelda, "I will stay up and see to it that Link is fine. I'll ride with him for the rest of the way. Don't worry. You and Impa ought to get some sleep too by the way."

Zelda and Impa returned to their carriage alone with the princess complaining. "Impa, why are you being like this? Link was attacked by Ganon's own spirit, yet you are making it like it was nothing worth noting!"

Impa softened and took the princess's right hand. "Zelda, I don't intend to be rude, but did you not hear the rest of what Ganon said?"

Zelda started with an irritated voice but then calmed her bad temperament. "I did. And I swear by Hylia, I will see to it that that lying, blasphemous demon is destroyed if I have to use the inverse of Nayru's Love to do it!"

"Zelda, listen." Impa gave the princess a stare that she used to scare her into submission. "According to his words, Ganondorf is going to kill everyone in his path until we finish him. We don't have time to be pondering over this 'curse' he pronounced on Link, or anything trivial for that matter. The whole thing was plain propaganda; Link has only lost his tongue, nothing more. Every day we lose is detrimental to our cause, and Ganon knows it and is trying to distract us. But he underestimates our resolve and relies on Link not retrieving the Master Sword. This desperate attempt to make us give up might be a revelation of weakness in our great foe. Anyway, with the data Link has brought to you, it seems our chances of finding that sword that seals the darkness are good. Now please, get some sleep, Zelda. We will be in Zora's Domain before you realize. Do not worry about Link. He will be fine; I promise."

The Sheikah's words were wasted breath because the princess was far from ending her fretting. Zelda whined, "But, Impa, how can you be so sure?"

Impa sighed and pointed to Zelda's Triforce mark. "For being the little lady who was all the wisdom, you don't seem to realize that Link is not easy to best, let alone kill. Ganon knows it too, and that is why he is trying to break his spirit. I don't believe there is anything that can quite quell Link's disastrous nature though."

Zelda laughed against her own will and added playfully, "Is this really you trying to tell me I have an unbeatable guardian?"

Impa blew out the only source of light in the carriage: a candle flickering in its pot. "Unbeaten and unlikely to be beaten—Link is the Hero, a title he neither deserves nor lives up to, but the mere psychological effects of his appellation make him a formidable ally to you, Princess." Impa changed her tone to authoritative. "Now go to sleep, or I might lose my temper."

Zelda refused to recline in the terrible, jostling carriage. Getting rest was impossible on the rocky road to Zora's Domain. Besides, she was not a child and did not have to listen.

Impa saw that the princess was not trying to rest so she warned her, "Zelda, you are going to be sorry when you fall asleep one day and wake up in one of Ganondorf's dungeons because you neglected yourself on days like today. We won't be getting much sleep from now on, so you must at least try."

Zelda crossed her arms and pouted. "You cannot make me; I am going to check on Link!"

Impa rolled over in her makeshift bed to face the princess on the other side of the carriage. "Dare to step out of this coach and you will regret it."

"Oh!?" Zelda was letting her stress bring out her bratty side, "And just how do you intend to stop me?"

Impa calmly put the covers over her head and groaned. "If I must, I will use force. Don't make me regret sparring the rod on you."

Zelda's voice squeaked. "Impa! I am a princess! You cannot speak to me like that."

Already falling asleep, Impa mumbled, "It was your father and mother's wish that you obey me."

Zelda shivered at the reminder of her parents who were probably in a dungeon in Hyrule Castle. Impa was correct, she had to stop being silly and keep her mind centered on planning how to defeat Ganondorf. She needed to help her Hero find his sword.

Zelda felt a burning on her hand. "I am sorry. I am being childish; even my Triforce can sense it."

Impa moaned half-awake, "Always listen to your Triforce and you will go far."

The princess sulked in defeat and settled under a blanket but politely responded, "Goodnight, Impa. I hope Gaepora is watching Link for his vital signs."

The Sheikah warrior rolled her eyes in the cover of the dark. Since when were princesses suppossed to care so much about their guardians?

Meanwhile in the carriage in front of Zelda's, General Gaepora was snoring the night away, while Link was wide awake pondering over all the information he had to process.

000

By morning, the convoy of troops and Hyrule's exiled government was at the border of Zora's Domain. Several of the knights had already come into contact with traveling members of the aquatic race. Their discourses proved fruitful and seemed to imply that the Zoras were still loyal to Hyrule and definitely against Ganondorf's takeover.

Impa awoke in the carriage, but was shocked to see Zelda missing. She stepped out in a hurry and found the entire group making themselves presentable and watering the horses.

Impa questioned the royal court members who were breakfasting near a campfire, "Where is the princess?!"

Seres, the countess answered, "I believe she is watching over Sir Link."

Impa muttered a quick thank-you and opened the creaky door of the carriage Link had been put into shortly after he was struck during the night.

She began, "Zel—"

"Shhh!" Zelda put down a cloth she was using to wash Link's face of the sticky residue Ganon's spirit had left behind. "He is still asleep."

Link moved and startled Zelda who was looking at Impa. He groaned very loudly and rolled over once before he started rubbing his eyes furiously. He then smacked his lips and asked hoarsely what time it was.

Impa whispered to Zelda, "Well, at least he has his voice back."

Zelda instinctively knew the answer. "It is late morning. Around 10:00 A.M." Impa was a little embarrassed that she had slept in that long herself.

"Oh. It is late." Link seemed like a changed person. His voice, intonation, and even character were different from the day before. "I need to get dressed."

Impa was way too curious to let him get away with that. "Link, first tell us what exactly happened to you last night."

Zelda agreed, "Yes, what terrible magic did Ganondorf—I mean Ganon—use on you?"

Link stood up with no shame that his shirt was practically shredded to nothing. "Do you really want to know? Well, fine, I'll tell ya." Link started stuffing his things that had been brought to him into a new pouch, only the pouch was strangely not getting any bigger.

Link continued, "Let's start with you, Zelda." His tone was a bit disrespectful and he laughed sourly. "You're like the same girl I jumped out of the sky to save."

Zelda cried out, "What? Are you—"

"Hear me out." Link stopped her. "Though everything that Ganon's spirit said last night was false, what he showed me were the facts of the past. Now I know that you and I are the same people from the legends—same princess, same boy; different bodies, different lives."

"Link, you are out of your mind!" Zelda declared with a hiss.

"Oh, am I? Maybe you want some evidence? How about I tell you how Hyrule started?" Link continued putting things into his tiny pouch. "Where's my sword?"

He quickly found a plain iron blade that was not his and stuffed it into his tiny pouch, which was only half the breadth of the sword itself.

Impa wanted to know what on earth he was doing. She pointed at his strange pouch that absorbed things. "What manner of sorcery is this?"

Link pointed to his sack. "You mean the pouch? Anything I put in there shrinks."

Zelda was surprised that Link was using magic. "But...how?"

Link gave Zelda a peck on the forehead and winked. "A little secret from the Hero of Time."

Impa and Zelda were shocked by Link's intimate gesture. Impa dismissed it as an effect of his messed up brain, but Zelda was blushing terribly.

A knight came to the carriage and told Zelda, "Your Highness, the royal court is ready to send a delegation. They want you and the Zora volunteer warriors to be the first that the royal family of the Zoras see."

Impa thought that was a good idea. "That sounds great. The Zoras will not be able to refuse their own people and Hyrule's princess."

Link suddenly became very bold. "Hold on a minute. If anyone is going to escort Zelda, it's gonna be me," Link said as he pointed to himself.

Impa disregarded Link's interruption and told the knight to confirm with the royal court. "Zelda, and I will be ready in a moment. Don't take notice of him. He is still suffering from Ganon's attack."

Link pulled on a fresh shirt and sarcasticly remarked, "I guess every person called Impa is always expected to be so sweet to boys named Link."

Zelda was feeling a mixture of excitement and disappointment. "I do not know what has gotten into you Link, but I am surprised you have let Ganon influence you so easily."

Link let out a puff of air. "He didn't change me; he just made me knowledgeable and hungry for revenge. Now let's go see if these Zoras are allies or savages." He found himself his scabbard and put another sword into it. "By the way, where are those wretched fairies?"

Everyone had forgotten about Navi, Tael, Tatl, and Spryte!

000 


	24. Fate of the Races

Chapter 24: Fate of the Races

On foot, Zelda and the rest approached the tiny border between the Zora lands and Hyrule proper. Strangely, there was no sign of moving life. Aside from the distinctive trees and shrubs, no animals or members of the Zora race were to be seen. Green rounded hills and plateaus created tiny gorges that offered excellent natural defense for the aquatic people. There were only a few entrances into the area and all of them were well-guarded or dead ends leading directly up to water. Ganondorf would be silly to send his usual monsters to try to subjagate the Zoras.

The delegation to the Zoras included Zelda, Impa, Link, Renado, and Sahasrahla. The rest of the Hylians were at camp. Meanwhile, the Zora volunteer warriors were providing a formal escort to the princess in order to ensure that her entrance into Zora's Domain was granted. The other Zoras native to the land were in a state of maximum security in response to Ganondorf's ascent to power and the legitimate government's overthrow in Hyrule Castle. In case the Zoras of the domain did not recognize Zelda and her companions, the presence of the Zora volunteer group would at least prevent an attack.

The delegation continued down one of the gorges, the hills to their left and right. The Zora warriors marched in step monotonously with no words said to each other. They were returning home, but under the flag of Hyrule, not theirs. Zelda could begin to feel that something was not quite right. She was deep into Zora's Domain, but aside from the road they were walking on, there was not a trace of the aquatic people's civilization. In all her education, Zelda had been told that there was only one Zora "city," namely the capital which was half submerged in water. However, surely there were some Zoras who ventured away from their wet habitat? Zora's Domain was huge.

Zelda's train of thoughts was stopped when she felt Impa's hands grab her shoulders protectively. The Zora escort froze in its tracks and lowered their spears. All around them, the Zoras serving the Zora king, not Hyrule, appeared like cannibals surrounding their prey. They were at every level and in every direction. Renado's lips sank with worry and whispered that maybe they should turn around. Link squinted his left eye and was quickly planning what he would do if the unidentified Zoras chose to attack. Sahasrahla, on the other hand, seemed to like the display of power.

The old man praised the Zoras for their success in surprising the princess's guard. "...such stealth and meneuver; such symmetry and oneness of purpose."

The Zoras were everywhere. In a small lake that was more accurately described as a puddle, a dozen or so heads popped out like submarine periscopes. A few of the Zoras were even atop the hills to the left and the right; how they had managed to get up there without flying was not evident. But by far, the largest force stood directly in front of Zelda—in between her delegation and the way to the capital. Altogether there must have been fifty or more potential enemies that could strike Zelda's modest sixteen, twelve of them Zora volunteers and the rest her Hylian friends.

The two "armies" held a stand-off for a few minutes, and the trained Zoras did not move a single one of their impressive muscles. Brother stared at cousin as the Zora warriors serving under Zelda and the local Zora militia pointed weapons at one another. Impa began to think that maybe Renado was right; perhaps they should withdraw before they started a civil war. But Sahasrahla said that the stalemate was only tradition.

He explained, "In the Zora culture, when two armies meet, the attacker must always make the first move. The attacked are only allowed to fight if the enemy does anything hostile. They are waiting to see what we will do."

Mikau, the leader of the Zora volunteers, noted, "I recognize their captain; he was a friend of mine before I left my home to serve Hyrule. With permission, I would like to go to him and plead our case."

Renado gave him leave. "A good idea. Please do, Lieutenant. It might be our only way to safely get out of here."

The Zora volunteer laid down his spear and straightened his fins to be presentable. He gave the signature Zora salute and said to one of his comrades "bully," a phrase meaning "let's do it."

As he walked the distance between himself and his countrymen, the Zora lieutenant almost felt like he were a deserter. By volunteering to serve the Hylians as a Zora volunteer, he had given up his rank and status in his homeland and forsaken his people for the sake of helping Hyrule as a whole. Would his fellow Zora ever accept him again, or would they take the opportunity to slay him and drive off Zelda and her adjutants?

The lieutenant swallowed hard and walked slowly toward his old acquaintance with dignity. As he came closer and closer, the militia did not lower its spears. The Zoras were frozen stiff and looked as though they were going to run Mikau through. But the young officer coolly kneeled in front of his former superior and addressed him coldly.

"Captain Sidon." Mikau did not look up as he spoke.

Sidon was an impressive shark-finned Zora of great height that served in the Zora militia. His blue slimy skin was probably best suited for the water his people lived in. He was extremely athletic and held the record in swimming. Sidon was known for his comraderie and optimistic inspiration. He had a single peculiarity: he made a special gesture called the "Muscle Flex" which was complemented by a cheesy grin to show enthusiasm. He was a little eccentric, a great leader, and a powerful foe.

"Mikau, it is good to see you well!" Sidon took his old comrade's hand jubilantly but shook his head with remorse. "I doubt Princess Lulu will ever forgive you, but our army has not felt complete since you left us." Sidon returned to the present dilemma and asked, "Tell me, who are these people you bring with you?"

Mikau sighed. "The Princess Zelda of Hyrule. She wishes to speak with our king about the recent revolution."

"And the rest?" asked Sidon impatiently.

"The queen's—I mean Zelda's mother's personal companion, the Sheikah warrior Impa; also the princess's own bodyguard Link; and two members of the monarchy's government—they all come in peace. The others, of course you know, are the men that I persuaded to join me in fighting for Hyrule. There are a few more of us camped outside this domain...as well as, uh, the rest of Hyrule's royal court."

Sidon was quite overwhelmed and rubbed his chin. "Queen Rutela is persistent on taking no action in response to Ganondorf's coup. However, our king would never let me turn away a member of the Hylian royal family." Sidon lost his bright smile. "You may tell your party that I grant them entrance into the domain, but my men will be escorting you as a precaution."

Link would not have asked for anything more.

Mikau beamed brightly. "The princess will be very pleased. I am sure my men would love to see their old homes once again too."

Lieutenant Mikau bowed and turned around to tell Zelda the good news. It felt relieving to have his countrymen at his back and not have to worry about an arrow striking him in the spine. Perhaps the rest of the Zoras would be willing to help the Hylians after all. Mikau had always felt that they should. That is why he had left Zora's Domain to become a volunteer in Hyrule's armies. However, in so doing, he left behind something that was perhaps of greater importance: Princess Lulu.

Mikau and Lulu had been friends since they were young, and they were expected to become partners. The two of them were deeply in love and the only thing in their way was Mikau's fear to propose. He could have had the chance to marry royalty, but instead, Mikau abruptly fled his homeland without a goodbye to fight for the Hylians. Lulu would probably slap him with a wet hand for stealing her heart and running off. Given the circumstamces, he was not quite sure if he wanted to see her again anyway. It was not like he had any chance of winning her back.

Nevertheless, Mikau's lack of loyalty had resulted in the formation of the Zora volunteer group. That little amphibious army had aided Hyrule with distinction and earned irreplaceable experience fighting monsters and braving different climates. The Zora volunteers that had been abroad could easily teach the rest of their race how to fight outside of water. They could make a Zora declaration of war on Ganondorf meaningful. If only Queen Rutela could be made to change her mind...

000

"Princess, I think it would be best for only Master Link and Impa to accompany you. The Zoras won't know a thing about me or Sahasrahla."

Renado was characteristically nervous. After being escorted into Zora's domain under the protection of Sidon's troops and Mikau's volunteers, Zelda was invited to have a conference with the Zora King. But Renado did not want to meet the royal family. After being eyed by curious Zora children peeping out of their absurd houses, the secretary was sure that he would only be in the way of progress.

As for Sahasrahla, his purpose was to supply information, not conduct politics. Zelda and Link, on the other hand, had the advantage of being reincartions of Hylia and the Hero, and interestingly, Impa was already acquainted with the Zora royals. During her service to Leah, Impa had travelled all across Hyrule with the queen and met the many races and their leaders.

Zelda agreed. "Yes, Secretary, I think that Queen Rutela is unfortunately not going to be tolerable to most of us Hylians."

Recalling "his" past services to the Zora race, Link argued, "The Zoras have no gratitude for what I have done for them. It's simply stupid of them to think that they can just hide from Ganondorf."

Renado questioned, "Link, what on earth are you talking about?"

Zelda answered for Link. "Ignore him, Renado; our Hero is still recovering." Zelda gave Link a squinted stare of disgust. "It seems Link is letting himself be disillusioned by Ganon's lies."

Link angrily crinkled a hankerchief he was going to wear. "All right, Zelda, if that's the way you feel," his voice becomming more irritated as he spoke, "why don't you talk to the Zoras by yourself? No one is going to care about my opinion anyway. The only thing I ever get credit for around here is slaying monsters and hiding the truth!"

Impa sternly but calmly rebuked him. "Link, control yourself."

Link threw his hands up in the air and turned around. "Fine! I'll just shut up and continue doing what I've been doing. It seems that people like me better when I'm quiet anyway." Link pointed a finger at Zelda. "If you want me, I'll be exploring this cursed domain for treasures...Sheik!"

Link stormed off with heavy steps while feeling terribly guilty.

A moment of silence elapsed before Sahasrahla meekly said, "I don't recall the young lad ever being like this when he was younger."

Indeed, Link would have died had he seen himself acting so rebellious and conceited. His absurd references to his past incarnations made him sound like he was out of his mind. Luckily, Zelda understood.

Impa wanted to know what was going on. "Princess, what was that name Link called you?"

Zelda was too annoyed to explain her secret. "Oh, I do not care what he calls me." Zelda began walking away, prompting Impa to follow, while Renado and Sahasrahla looked on. Zelda kept speaking, "I fear Link has been emotionally damaged by Ganon's spirit in many different ways. It is making him incooperative. I would honestoly rather speak to the Zoras without him tagging along as an embarrassment. However, we have a war to fight, and Link needs to harden quickly. Honestly, even if Ganon has indeed given him visions of the past, Link has no right to act like a pompous fool."

As Zelda briefly recalled Link's casual kiss, her heart burned from the memory. She had really thought that she and Link had something special going, but now she realized that his affections toward her were forced. He did not love her; he just thought he was suppossed to.

Many of the old romantic writers liked to ship the Princess with her Hero. It was natural to play matchmaker with the most famous characters of Hyrule's history. Some of the legends even implicated that the tale of forbidden love was true. Zelda thought that Link was only trying to play the part of the lover he "remembered." Having been shown the lives of the past Heroes by Ganon, Link suddenly felt justified to show his love for Zelda. But at the same time, he was having some emotional trouble caused by the sudden blur of his spirit's former incarnations.

Zelda flushed away her tears and took her anger out by speaking ill of the one she loved. "Impa, I hate to say this, but if Link continues acting irresponsibly I will not hesitate to use my authority on him. I simply cannot tolerate his sudden change of mood."

Impa crossed her arms. "Ganon's spirit put him in some sort of mental trauma. What makes you think he will listen to you now?"

Zelda gave a terrifying frown—the death stare of the ice queen hidden in her. "I have the powers of a goddess. I cannot be refused. He will listen to me whether he likes it or not. The Hero will never have a choice, sane or insane."

Why would Zelda want to love a boy like Link anyway? In his perfect form, he was but a tool to be used for the benefit of the masses—a robot lacking character, feeling, and emotion. He loved Zelda because he was blinded by his duty to her as Hylia. And for Nayru's Love, Zelda was betrothed to Phillip! Luckily, Ganon's little scheme had caused Link to become disgusting to Zelda. Now she was freed from her "sinful lust," or so she thought.

Impa was slightly shocked to see the authoritative side of Zelda, but she thought it best not to pry any further and asked, "Shall we see if the Zora King will accommodate us now?"

Zelda's voice was shaken by the reality of the terrible war she was trying to drag others into. "Yes. Let us proceed to find out if the Zoras will help us escape this our terrible fate."

000

After leaving the princess, Link shopped around the domain and vainly searched for excitement. He was not happy with himself. Visions of the past were tormenting his mind with pride, but Link knew Zelda was right. He had to stop messing around and just take his burden quietly. He felt that he should apologize for acting so brazenly and do his best to help Zelda. She did not love him, or so Link thought, but he still loved her. He had always loved her, even after death, but that could not be helped and certainly did not justify his stupid behavior. Oh, what Link would give to erase his actions that were synonymous with a drunk's! Why could he not be quiet and accompany Zelda to see the Zoras? For Din's sake, why was he losing control of himself?

Convinced he could do no further good in Zora's Domain, Link took the solitary walk back to the camp where the royal court and loyal soldiers were. Enthralled by the glory of nature and lost in reminiscence of Saria's old home in the Kokiri Forest, Link passed the time quickly. Zora's domain had a sleepiness to it. He would not mind living there.

Upon his return to the caravan, Link was immediately greeted by Alfonzo and offered lunch.

"Master Link! How is the princess getting along?"

Alfonzo was a perfect soldier in every respect. He was not infallible, but he was made of the qualities that Hyrule needed in all its knights.

Link quietly replied, "The Zoras accepted us and offered a meeting to the princess."

Alfonzo wanted to know about the military. "And the Zora volunteers—will there be any more?"

"Definitely not," Link replied stoically.

Alfonzo was taken aback. "Def—but why not?"

Link explained, "I think it is more likely that the volunteers will rejoin the rest of the Zora army. It is this army that Zelda is bargaining for."

Alfonzo slowly nodded in understanding.

General Gaepora showed up in time to hear what Link said and commented, "It sounds like the Zoras are being cooperative then. I am pleased."

Alfonzo saluted, prompting Gaepora to return the gesture.

Gaepora remembered something else that had shown up and said to Alfonzo, "Sergeant, please show Link the fairy."

Alfonzo's smile became forced as he dipped his head solemnly.

Link was excited to hear about the fairies who had disappeared. "The fairy? Which?"

Gaepora answered, "Navi. She returned from her fairy troupe's own efforts to help us. She is sorry to say that the kingdom is crumbling."

Link did not get it. "What do you mean?"

"It is better that you hear it from her yourself. Please, go with Alfonzo."

Gaepora walked away with a calm composure that did not reveal that he had totally lost confidence.

Alfonzo spread out his hand. "Come, I will show you to Navi."

Link followed his comrade with all sorts of unanswered questions flooding his mind. Where had the fairies been? What tragedy had befallen Navi? Why was she alone? What did Gaepora mean by "the kingdom is crumbling"?

Alfonzo brought Link to a small wagon and bid him to enter alone. Link went in cautiously and found his little purple companion resting on a bed shaking as she breathed. She was sick, terribly ill.

The purple orb flickered. "...Link?"

Link fell to his knees and scooped up his childhood nuisance. "Oh, Navi, what on earth has happened to you?"

"M—me? Well, that's a long story." Navi cleared her throat, but her voice still came out raspy. "I took Tael and Tatl and Spryte to do what you could not. We flew all around Hyrule and got the latest intel. Good news first: Phillip is safe in Castilla and heavy debate is going on in their parliament about joining the fight. The Kokiri Forest is still peaceful and the Great Deku Tree sends you his support. But unfortunately, we arrived at Death Mountain just in time to see the Gorons being attacked by Ganondorf's forces."

Recalling the spirit of Ganon's threat, Link prayed a silent prayer that at least some of the Gorons had escaped alive.

Navi continued, "It was the worst hour of my life. Poes, monsters of every sort, and even our own guards possessed by dark magic attacked us mercilessly. We tried in vain to help our friends, the rock people, but few were saved. Some of them are buried alive in the caverns surrounding the volcano. Darbus and Daruk died valiantly, and the elders, including Gor Coron, were all lost. Darunia was one of the few lucky survivors."

Link was crying in his own mind. Here he was thinking about words said in haste, treasure, and the princess, when he should be putting all his mind and body into finding the sword that could end all the bloodshed.

Link asked, "And what happened to you?"

Navi sighed like a soul that had lost hope. "I will be fine. The army medic said I was just flying around too much; he ordered me to rest."

"But where are the other fairies? Tael? And Tatl?"

"Tael is with the surviving Gorons in a secret hideout near the Wastelands, and I sent Tatl to the Gerudo Valley because I heard that riots were breaking out there. Spryte is in Castilla as our official messenger."

Link looked down to the ground and folded his hands. "I see."

Using her last strength to speak, Navi reminded him of his duty. "Link," He nodded. "You have to stop Ganondorf. This is only day two and already he has defeated the monarchy and our toughest race. You must...stop him."

Link sat quiet for a full eight minutes until he looked up and saw that Navi had fallen asleep. Oh, was he going to get revenge! Sometimes anger was all it took to light the fiery flames of determination. To hell with Ganondorf! He was never going to rule unless it was over Link's dead body!

"Master Link?"

The Hero's buildup of rage was interrupted by the whisper of a junior guard standing in the doorway of the covered wagon.

"The Resistance is back from Castilla and wishes to speak with you."

Link nodded and quickly sat up and put a tiny cloth over Navi's sleeping lump before he left to see why Shad was back so soon.

000

Shad gingerly sipped some tea from a cracked cup. "Hyrule is a mess, and most of it is not even Ganondorf's fault. I cannot understand why such anarchy is ruling even the tiniest of cities. The rebels are so lustful for power. Then on top of that, we have mad magic users everywhere."

Link could only nod in acknowledgment. Crowded around a campfire awaiting Zelda's return, the royal court, the Resistance, and Gaepora's forces were discussing how quickly Hyrule had fallen apart following Ganondorf's assent to power.

Navi came groggily buzzing out of the wagon she was sleeping in to try to brighten their spirits. "Hey! Listen! When I was with the Gorons I heard that we had our first victory!"

Gaepora disregarded any such possibility. "All we have done is successfully flee and run."

Navi explained, "No, I forgot to tell you: in the Wastelands a sorceress named Lana has joined forces with the surviving Gorons, and she has already successfully subdued her evil counterpart Cia."

Never one to be unhappy, Sahasrahla exclaimed, "Ah, yes, Lana, the White Sorceress! You remember her, right Link? In the time I shared with Lana in Maleficent's dungeon, she left a good impression on me."

Navi bobbed up and down a little. "Yeah, and Darunia told me that Cia was trying to build up Maleficent's old Castle of the Wastelands, but Lana stopped her by summoning monsters."

Secretary Renado's eyes went wide. "She did WHAT?!"

Sahasrahla laughed heartily. "Oh, Renado, no sorceress is entirely orthodox; you should know that."

Looking at the road, Countess Seres announced to the royal court, "I see Zelda and the Zora volunteers coming back."

Sure enough, Zelda was walking down the path to Zora's Domain with a full escort.

Link jumped up and almost starting running toward her. After composing himself, he walked up to her face to face and bowed low.

"Princess, I am sorry for being disrespectful earlier. You were right. I am letting the visions Ganon gave me influence me too much. Please forgive me."

Knowing that everyone could hear him, Link blushed in embarrassment and swore he would never speak an unnecessary word again. Reticence was his childhood policy; he should have kept it.

Link did not realize that one of the Zoras with Zelda was NOT a volunteer. Zelda cleared her throat nervously.

"Um...of course Link," she turned to the royal court members, "er...I would like you all to meet Princess Ruto of the Zora royal family."

The aforementioned Zora inclined her head as Link looked scared for his life. His mind went into a short panic.

Ruto? Wasn't she bad? Or wait, she was a nut! Or—oh, Farore! She was the Zora that the Hero of Time had narrowly escaped! But wait a minute. She couldn't be the same person. She had died hundreds of years ago! But what if she had the same spirit as the other Ruto?! What if she was like Zelda and Link and was a reincarnation of her old self?! Link was thoroughly screwed.

Not noticing that Link was about to wet his pants from fear, Zelda continued, "The Zora King and his wife Rutela have shown me grace and decided to allow us to form a government in exile in their domain. Queen Rutela has explained to me that the Zora army is in no condition to help us launch an attack, but she will willingly cooperate with us for mutual protection. I invited Princess Ruto here as a guest and symbol of our new friendship. I would like to thank her and her people for being so kind and allowing us to move into Zora's Domain as soon as tomorrow."

A hearty round of applause ensued from the Hylian and Zora soldiers present. Link was terrified though and could not appreciate the great news.

After having her hand kissed by Gaepora, Princess Ruto looked at Link and said bubbly, "Oh, is this the brave Hero? Oh, it is such an pleasure to meet you! We Zoras never forget how many times Hylian boys like you have come to our aid."

Ruto offered her hand to Link, but he had no inclination of kissing the slimey appendage. Impa cleared her throat to warn Link, but he could care less. No way was he going to fall into the same trap the Hero of Time had. He was not letting that fish girl get any ideas.

Not wanting to be disrespectful though, Link gave her a meek handshake instead, using every last bit of his Triforce power to be brave enough to touch her. Ruto chuckled nervously and looked at Zelda with a fake smile. The princess returned with an apologetic nod.

Zelda was really out of her mind to think that Link was a suitable suitor. He could not even kiss another princess's hand, darn it! He would be a nightmare for politics. Zelda could think of more than one foreign nation that would declare war for such an offense as to refuse a hand kiss.

Wanting to get away, Link whispered something to Navi who was conveniently hovering behind his head.

Navi spoke up, "Um, Princess Zelda,"

"Yes?" Zelda turned around to see the purple orb. "Oh, it's you Navi! Welcome back! Where have you been?"

Navi was brief. "Scouting Hyrule. Can we talk?"

"Certainly. Link, please entertain Ruto while I speak with Navi."

Hold on, what? That was not what Link had in mind! Navi was suppossed to help Link get away from Ruto, not leave her with him! Darn it Navi!

Link squirmed. "Well, I, uh..."

"Please excuse me, Ruto."

Zelda quickly walked away with Navi and a smug expression; they two of them were playing a nasty trick on Link. Ruto stood in front of him expectantly while Impa purposely turned around.

Ruto offered her arm for him to lead her. "Master Link, will you introduce me to the rest of the royal court?"

Link could have screamed.

Oh, of all the slimey things, why did the goddesses have to torment Link with a Zora that had a name with awful connotations?

000 


	25. The Quest for the Master Sword

Chapter 25: The Quest for the Master Sword

"Members of the Hyrulean Royal Court and the Army of the Goddesses, may I have your attention please."

Zelda stood atop a natural hill overlooking the camp where the free Hylians resided outside Zora's Domain. It was late evening, and the people were preparing for their last night alone; the next day they were to take up residence in the Zora capital and form their exiled government there. However, Zelda had far more adventurous plans than hiding in the midst of the wet race.

All across Hyrule, war had broken out in a chaotic free-for-all. Tatl had arrived with a message from Gerudo informing the Hyrulean government that a civil war was flaring in the deserts between Royalist and "Ganonist" militias. Meanwhile, the Gerudo cheiftain Nabooru was assuming a neutral position as she instructed her forces to arrest members of both the warring parties to maintain order. The vast majority of Gerudo pledged allegiance to Nabooru, not Hyrule's monarchy, or Ganondorf.

Zelda was not going to stand idle while the biggest cities and the most important races were killed off by Ganondorf and each other. But with an army smaller than the population of the Skull Kids in Hyrule, she had little chance of fighting out in the open. Instead, she intended to form an elite group of warriors that would work in the shadows. Defeating Ganondorf would be a mere formality of magic if it were not for the dissenters and sorcerers manipulating the situation. Zelda wanted to eliminate all the rebels and lesser foes and slowly unite the masses of Hyrule together. Only then would she be able to make a unified assault on Ganondorf's stronghold in the castle.

After having a vision of some extreme necessity lying far across the oceans, the princess planned to take a small detour first, however. Recent prophecies suggested that a clash between the Triforce owners would cause much prolonged suffering and loss of life. Zelda wanted to avoid such bloodshed by quickly arming Link with the Blade of Evil's Bane and strengthening her own powers which she hardly perceived.

With the undivided attention of everyone present, even the Zora representative Princess Ruto, Zelda spoke boldly with Impa at her side:

"Fellow citizens and warriors of Hyrule, it is time for action. Tomorrow morning, I shall set out with an assigned body of individuals to begin preparing for counterattack." Several gasps and exclamations passed through the people. "I am aware that this is a bit sudden, but I am acting on what I believe to be divine inspiration from the goddess I owe my existence to." She was referencing Hylia.

"I leave in my stead General Gaepora to be the leader of the Hylian forces. Most of you will stay here under the protection of our Zora allies, but I must depart punctually at dawn. The task at hand is beyond difficult, and I am forced to keep most of our forces on the defensive presently. I intend to wage a guerilla war with the help of loyalists around the kingdom, thus keeping this domain an untouchable stronghold. Only a small group shall accompany me." Zelda paused to look at her previously developed list. "I will now select those that I want to bring with me. Please assemble here when your name is called: Sir Sahasrahla, Lord Auru, Captain Shad, Sergeant Ashei, Sir Link, Sergeant Alfonzo, Fairy Elder Tingle, Messenger Navi, Cadet Pipit, Cadet Karane."

After they all came to her, Zelda quietly told them to wait and continued speaking to the Army of the Goddesses.

"Of course, Lady Impa will be with me also. I want everyone else to continue on to Zora's Domain. It will be your duty to entrench yourselves there and keep the world aware of our presence. Are there any questions?"

That was blunt. An overwhelming number of people raised their hands. Zelda randomly chose one.

"Yes, Chancilor Cole?"

The uncomely midget stood up and asked, "How shall our government be funded? We have lost nearly all the Hylian taxpayers to Ganondorf."

Zelda warmly replied, "The Zoras have guaranteed our economic security, but you do remind me of something I forgot to discuss. The royal court will naturally not have many of its usual duties but must rather focus on the war and raising an army. I will expect all the court members to cooperate and work together to make government operations smooth. Many of you will be reassigned to different wartime positions, and the soldiers will be asked to have a delay in their salaries. Sacrifices will have to be made. We must not be afraid to get our hands dirty and do common work."

A general murmur of agreement satisfied Cole. As long as the rest of the court was willing to give a hand, he did not have to worry. Zelda went on to the next person.

"Yes, Ruto?"

The Zora princess seemed a little bit embarrassed. "I absolutely hate to bring this up now, but it seems relevant."

Zelda nodded, prompting Ruto to continue.

"A soldier named Mikau of the Zora volunteers serving under you has become the subject of much dispute in my land for his inconstancy; for this some want him ousted. I think it would be for the best of everyone concerned if you took him with you. He was once a friend of my family, and as I am sure you know, he is an excellent warrior. But...we don't want him here."

Zelda awkwardly stumbled upon the delicate matter. "Yes...yes, I suppose I could replace someone with him."

Zelda looked over her squad. She had honestly picked out the people on impulse.

"Er...Auru?"

The aged man quietly replied, "Understood." He was probably too old to be doing special operations anyway.

Zelda went on, "Very well, Lieutenant Mikau will take Lord Auru's place. Now then, who else had a question?"

Secretary Renado stood up. "Princess, I do not wish to sound prejudiced, but what makes you think that you should personally leave our safe haven with such a small detachment? If you insist upon action, at least take some more soldiers with you. I mustn't let you be so poorly unprotected. You are too important to the unity and morale of this nation."

Zelda was prepared for that question. "I completely understand your worries, but there are several things we need to consider. One, this is no common war, and it is my personal duty to see to the demise of Ganondorf. Two, my central aim is not to fight directly, but rather forge alliances, seek out the relics required, and tip the balance of power. Three, I am bringing with me Triforce owner Link as my personal guardian, as well as many of our elite, including those representing Castilla's Resistance, a group specifically trained for this sort of work." She was speaking exceedingly fast. "And lastly, I shall not disembark as Princess Zelda preparing to make war. Our appearance and intentions shall be cleverly disguised, and our destinations will be kept secret. It will be certain that I am not targeted. I should also reiterate that I am not solely on a warpath, though you can be sure that there will be much resistance because of the revolution."

Renado sat down in defeat, for there was no use arguing. If there was one trait the princess inherited from King Harkinian, it was stubbornness. Her sudden assumption of power was a bit of a sting to the royal court, but most of Hyrule was willing to follow her leadership anyway.

Zelda continued to answer the rest of the court's questions about politics and small considerations until it was nearly sunset. She then dismissed the people and spoke to her selected warriors about their assignment. She addressed Auru first.

"Lord Auru, I am not sure if you are disappointed that I called on you and suddenly elected not to bring you along."

The minister smiled. "To fight in a platoon lead personally by a princess would have been quite a novel honor, but I do believe any inclination on your part is a manifestation of your wisdom." He gestured to her right hand that bore the symbol of the Triforce.

Zelda wished she could live up to his expectations. "Thank you." Zelda looked at Impa who twitched her eyebrow to remind her of something. "Oh, but Auru, there is something I still want done." He nodded. "Since Hyrule must temporarily be under military rule, I am going to use my royal power to reappoint you as Gaepora's formal military adviser."

Auru listened tolerably but added with a grin, "As the minister of defense, wasn't this always my job?"

Zelda replied by handing him a cap with the insignia of a general. "Not exactly. I want you to be second in command."

Auru took the promotion thankfully. "I haven't legitimately been in the army since I was thirty-seven."

Zelda blurted out, "You were a major then."

The newly-risen general chuckled. "Heh heh, yes...uh, how did you know, Princess?"

Zelda had spoken faster than she was thinking. She was not even alive when Auru was part of the military. Yet she was certain that he was a major—a major in the Fifth Guards Brigade. But how did she know that?

"I—well..." she stammered.

Somehow Zelda felt that Link had something to do with her supernatural recollection. For some odd reason she was beginning to know things about the past and future.

Impa humorously remarked, "You must forgive the princess for reading people's minds. It is a bad habit I should have never taught her."

That lie generated some laughter.

Zelda looked at Link for consolation and, without even thinking about it, she telephatically said to him, "You understand, right?"

"I do" was the telephatic reply.

Thoroughly surprised that she had not only spoken to Link but also received a response, Zelda stared questionably at him and blushed. Since when did he know how to communicate that way? And why did she ask him such a thing? Telephatic speech was usually used by the princess only for the utmost necessities. It was not polite to randomly brand words into other people's minds.

Observing the princess and Link's puzzled expressions and mutual eye-contact, Shad asked obliviously, "Are you all right, Princess?"

Zelda turned aside. "Yes, excuse me." She recalled Impa's disrespectful joke and decided it was time to assume sovereignty. "I naturally will want to be shown some deference as your new commander." Zelda looked at her former nanny who was actually the most influential woman in the royal court and arguably the most frightening. "Even you, Impa, must agree to follow my lead."

Impa noticed that there was no playful crinkle in Zelda's nose.

The Sheikah rolled her eyes. Surely she understood Zelda's vantage point, but that did not mean that the princess needed to humiliate everyone in the court. Was Zelda really letting her new authority get to her head? That would be a most regretable quality for the future monarch of Hyrule to have. Impa would eventually need to find some way to rid the princess of her vanity. As her guardian, nanny, and teacher, Impa was personably responsible not only for Zelda's protection and livelihood, but also for her preparation for probable autocracy. Zelda was a sweet, good-natured girl, but she was far from being a flawless queen.

Impa saw Link's grin hiding his laughter; apparently he thought it was funny to see grown people being lorded over by a young princess. He was going to be a troublesome one too. Oh, yes, once the Ganondorf thing was over, and Hyrule was back on its feet, Link was going to be the most mischievous young man in the kingdom. Impa could imagine having to throw him in the dungeon multiple times for insubordination or inappropriate conduct around the princess. The Sheikah warrior certainly had her hands full with those two chosen ones. However, Impa knew her present duty and swore her allegiance, though be it with defiance.

"I will be willing to oblige to your orders, Zelda, but only because I know it is for the benefit of Hyrule."

Zelda ignored Impa's retort but let out a sly smile. "Good."

Lord Auru cleared his throat uncomfortably. He wished Rauru were there to keep order. Why did that obnoxious trio—Zelda, Link, and Impa—have to be so awkward?

Indeed, the royal court lacked the formalities Hyrule was so accustomed to. The light atmosphere in the face of crisis was frivolous at best, but maybe it was good for morale. Perhaps some leniency ought to be granted to Zelda considering that her parents were not there to guide her. The Army of the Goddesses was going to be a unique body in which royalty, lords, soldiers, and commoners all worked together as one. Of course, Zelda's forces still required some form of hierarchy.

She addressed her outfit. "Now then, I need to assign rank to those of you who are new to military protocol. Tingle,"

Tingle was the most immature and silly of the royal court. What place did he have in Zelda's little group? For years, he had served the royal family whole-heartedly by making maps and presenting communiques to the great fairies he was rumored to have a fetish for. The dwarf man was considered crazy for the way he dressed and his ardent declaration of being the very reincarnation of a fairy. He had his place in the court, but on the other hand, he had no qualities for the military, forget about Zelda's contingent.

The little man replied worriedly, "Yes, your majesty?"

The princess acted nonchalantly about the matter. "Since you will not be of any help in Zora's Domain, I am going to recruit you as our navigator with entry-level rank."

Impa clarified, "Like an officer cadet."

Tingle swallowed nervously and tried to ease himself into realizing that he might have to learn how to slice monsters with swords. Link hoped that Tingle would be at least a little useful and not a burden. Spending only fifteen minutes with that man was intolerable for most people.

Zelda went to Sahasrahla next. "Sir, I am aware that you are much too old to be traveling on your feet and fighting like a youth, but I feel that your knowledge and advice is irreplaceable. Though I will not expect you to follow us into something like a firefight, I would not be comfortable without you at my side to help with my main quests, finding the Master Sword being the priority." She paused. "But...do you feel physically able to accompany me?"

The old man replied positively. "I live to study and studying is best done first hand. It will be quite a singular blessing to help you with ancient Hyrulean lore and finding that extravagant magic that is yours and young Link's to claim ownership of. I'd jump at the chance to travel. There is still some spunk in my frail bones yet."  
Zelda replied with an outstretched hand. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but if at any time you feel unable to go on, please know that I will understand. I could never forgive myself if you were to come to harm because of my selfishness."

The old Castillian man bowed his head slightly and assented. There was a special sparkle in his eyes and a golden hue to his wrinkled skin. He had a wonderful feeling that everything he had learned over his many years of research might finally be of good use in the reaccuring conflict that stained the pages of Hyrule's history with blood. Maybe this was to be his moment: the purpose of his existence.

Not allowing herself to be choked up by Sahasrahla's good heart, the princess quickly explained the rest of her plan.

"This unit will be code-named the 'Sheik Battalion.'"

Link spoke inside Zelda's brain. "Speaking of Sheik, I should like to know what—"

"Link, please!"

The princess forgot to us telepathy and spoke out loud as she sternly stared down the Hero standing innocently across from her. For Nayru's Love, was he going to abuse his newfound telephatic power? What a terrible fate that would be for Zelda.

Unable to retain her silence anymore, outspoken Ashei of the Castillian Resistance expressed her annoyance. "Goddesses, will you two stop making faces at each other and just get over it already?"

Impa distastefully questioned the younger woman. "Get over what?"

Auru shifted on his feet and tried not to look at the others. Link burned ashamedly red while Zelda felt insulted; now that she was determined not to like Link in THAT way, she was particularly hostile to anyone daring to suggest that there might be something between them.

In Zelda's brain, Ashei was practically implicating that she and Link ought to admit they had a mutual crush and stop flirting. Although the real cause of their glancing back and forth was telepathy, the two of them really were struggling to keep each other in the friend zone. The teenagers were hard pressed by their instincts, but that did not excuse a lack of self-control. It was time to kill Ganondorf, not play mind games with each other.

Ashei wished she had not spoken so fast and apologized. "Well, heck, I did not mean it that way." She was only making the situation worse. "Look, uh...I'm sorry, Princess; that was rude. I guess you're right about us needing to learn some manners, yeah?"

Shad was eager to end the social mess. "Yes, you'll have to forgive us for lack of etiquette. In Castilla there is no code of chivalry for common soldiers; the Resistance are simply hand-selected warriors. With all our different backgrounds, it will take some time for us to get adjusted. The important thing is that we all are going to support you, Princess Zelda, no matter where you lead us."

Everyone mouthed their agreement, and Zelda took a deep breath, regaining her confidence and being sure to ignore Link, who was the cause of all her troubles—well, most of them anyway.

"Very well, let us get on."

She brought out her carefully constructed plans and addressed the two youngsters she had picked, Pipit and Karane. They were an odd choice; at seventeen, they were really children like Link and Zelda and had absolutely no combat experience. The princess looked at the two cadets and hated herself for drafting them into her team. But a hunch was not just a hunch when it came to Zelda; it was divine leading. For some reason she needed the two greenhorns.

She spoke to the girl first. "'Kärān:' that is how it is pronounced, correct?"

The shy cadet nodded and spoke silently but in a sweet tone that broke Zelda's heart. The princess had to swallow a lump. All the turmoil was Ganondorf's fault. It was Ganondorf's fault that innocent young girls like Karane had to prepare themselves for battle. Why did the goddesses not forbid it? Was the elimination of the greater part of the Gorons not enough?

"I have heard high praises about your agility. Both you and Pipit are going to be privates now, and I want you to be our scout."

Karane dipped her head to acknowledge.

Zelda spoke to the boy. "And you, Pipit—Instructor Owlan told me that you are one of the most promising young archers in Hyrule."

Pipit was quick to assume modesty. "Your highness, I am sure Sir Link can best my shooting any day." He smiled at the boy in green who replied likewise.

Sergeant Alfonzo could not help but comment, "I think anybody can be bested by Link."

Impa half-jokingly warned, "Please, Sergeant, you'll give the boy overconfidence."

That only created more laughter.

Auru chuckled and excused himself. "I think I shall leave all of you to quarrel among yourselves. I ought to go and tell Gaepora that the princess has put me in his military." The older man winked at Zelda and left with a smile.

Impa called out to him, "I'll be expecting to find a well-disciplined army when I return!"

He shouted back, "You can count on it, Sheikah!"

Zelda had forgotten that Impa probably knew most of the royal court members from sixteen years ago when the old Sheikah was Leah's companion. The princess began to wonder just how much influence Impa had had on the government, her mother Leah, and consequently King Harkinian.

The Sheikah crossed her arms. "So, Zelda, you still have not told me what this adventure of yours is all about. You had another vision, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did." Zelda ignored the first question and went back into queen mode. "Now as I was saying, we shall have two squads, one led by Impa, and the other by Link; they will be referred to as Alpha and Omega respectively. Alpha squad shall comprise, Impa, Shad, Ashei, Pipit, and Karane. Omega will comprise Link, Mikau, Alfonzo, Tingle, Sahasrahla, and Navi. Your ranks will be observed loosely.

"Alpha squad shall be entrusted with special operations. Their combination of skill, good teamwork, and stealth should not be underestimated. We already have seen a demonstration of their feats. Accompanied by Rusl, Shad and Ashei played a vital part in helping Link and Phillip get to my tower only two nights ago when Ganondorf seized the castle. The Resistance have shown the world what a great impact a small body of elite can make.

"Omega squad's responsiblities will be more scripted. Mikau and Alfonzo's job shall be defense and outright fighting if it comes to that. Once I get the Master Sword—and I will get it—Link will become our fighting machine and shall continue serving as my formal guardian. Meanwhile, Sahasrahla and Tingle will stay close with me as advisers, and Navi will act as our messenger should we separate; she can also provide us a bird's eye view of the objectives."

Sahasrahla interrupted, "This all sounds like a well-thought out plan, but...how are we going to make a difference? Attached to an army I could see us doing wonders, but all alone, how shall we succeed? If we are not going to face the monsters and our enemies directly, why then are we being organized militarily?"

Zelda was confident. "We shall find our friends and support them. I have the Gerudo in mind."

Sahasrahla scratched his beard. "The Gerudo? That could be highly political."

Zelda nodded solemnly. "Indeed. That is partially why I need to personally lead us."

Impa asked skeptically, "Suppossing we did act as a deadly task force attached to a larger army, such as the Gerudo, would you be staying behind the lines, Zelda?"

The princess put her hand to her chest and seemed surprise. "Me? I shall be in the thick of it disguised as a Sheikah and fighting in the shadows as you always taught me!"

Impa threw her head back. "Zelda..."

"Now Impa, before you bombard me with your protests, let me show you my first objective. Remember, war is not my goal; the Blade of Evil's Beign is."

The princess spread out a large map of Hyrule and pointed to a small dot lying across the Great Sea.

"Tingle, what is the name of this chunk of land lying in between Koholint and Outset Island?"

The map Zelda was using was a general atlas and did not have small details. She only knew the place she was referring to from a vision she had received. The fairy man put one hand on his beard and the other on the back of his head and moved his eyes as though he were searching the filing cabinets of his brain for an answer. It came to him suddenly

"Ah! Koolah Limpah! That island is known as Stone Watcher Island. Recent studies show that humans have lived there, and the place is sparsely populated by some wildlife and chu-chu monsters too."

Sahasrahla added, "and fierce Bokoblins, Moblins, and friendly Koroks. I should also note that there is rumored to be a secret tunnel on that speck of land—might be interesting."

Zelda lit up. "A tunnel you say?" She whispered to herself, "So my vision was real..."

Link handed the princess a famaliar piece of old paper. "Remember this?" It was the map he had found in the graveyard dungeon in Kakariko—Labrynna's Labyrinth.

Zelda took the relic daintily and noticed that it focused on the archipelago surrounding what was labeled as Old Watcher's Island. With all the dots connecting, Zelda was ready to start her quest for the Master Sword.

"Everything is coming together beautifully." The princess had a fixed gaze and quickly made a decision. "Tingle, where is the nearest port?"

He showed Zelda one of his own maps and traced a path. "If we get permission from the Zoras, we can travel on this road by the sea until we come to the Hylian port of Mido due west of Kokiri. We would not be far from Gerudo's rocky province here to the north."

Zelda was satisfied. "It's settled then. Tomorrow morning we shall travel to Mido. From there we will go to Stone Watcher Island. If we are quick, we can be back on the mainland and on our way to Gerudo before nightfall."

Impa was not very open to Zelda's rash plans. "If you really deem it necessary to go to this island—whatever it's called—how do you plan to cross the perilous Great Sea?"

"Any boat in Mido's harbor will have to do. I would even board a pirate ship at this point." The princess was starting to have Link's recklessness.

Impa's exasperation was far too great for her to express. She opened her mouth and closed it with a huff.

Zelda bid her warriors goodnight. "Sheik Battalion, you are dissmissed. Make sure all of you are up at the crack of dawn."

The party scattered, prompting Impa to give Zelda a good talking to.

"Zelda—"

The princess looked back at her nanny and responded haughtily, "Impa, from now on, my name is Sheik."

000 


	26. Level 4: The Great Sea

Chapter 26: Level 4: The Great Sea

In the splendor of Hyrule Castle, Ganondorf and his allies were discussing the next phase of their plan to conquer all of Hyrule's domains. In what was once Harkinian and Leah's grand banquet hall, Ganondorf himself and many others were seated pompously. The Gerudo Demon King had established an elegant body of lieutenants, adjutants, and assistants to do most of his work for him. Among them were Ghirahim, second in command; Twinrova, senior adviser; Yuga, head of monster forces; and a few newer additions: Zant, suppossedly from the Twilight Realm; Bryne, the leader of Hylian defectors; Onox, the General of Darkness; and Veran, the Sorceress of Shadows.

Still, Ganondorf was not happy that so few of the powerful beings across Hyrule had joined him. Particularly Vaati was necessary to guarantee absolute control over the land. Ganondorf's golden eyes seemed almost opaque as his voice lifted with a gnashing of teeth.

"Ghirahim, report your progress or lack thereof."

The Demon Lord stood haughtily and read from a scroll with unnecessary drama. "The current status quo of the militant forces spreading the breadth of the kingdom is as follows:  
1\. The attack on the Gorons has been a general success; however, right when I was about to bring Cia to our side, Goron forces led by the powerful sorceress Lana and her monster army attacked and seized control of the Wastelands and have now established a front line to the east of Death Mountain.  
2\. The despicable United Kingdom of Castillla, which has been known to give refuge to a body of elite pro-Hylians called the Resistance, is currently debating whether or not to declare war on us. They pose a threat to our northern flank and might be a danger to our communications with the Gerudo.  
3\. The Kokiri Forest to the northeast is poorly defended. With the help of one of us here, that region could be easily assimilated with the use of monster forces already in that forest.  
4\. The schism in Gerudo is official since violence has broken out. Strangely though, most of the rebels have not joined our beloved Ganondorf Dragmire or Hylia, but rather they remain loyal to Nabooru, who is persistent on neutrality."

Ganondorf interrupted him for several reasons. "For Din's sake, why are you referring to the princess as that linking Goddess? To the Dark Realm with her!"

Ghirahim could not understand the problem; his animosity toward Zelda nowhere neared his personal hatred for Link. "Well sire, I thought the princess was due some respect. After all, she is our only enemy you have ordered to be taken alive."

Ganondorf slammed his fist down, nearly crushing the enormous table into oblivion. "Damn her! Zelda's ancestors are the ones directly responsible for the hindrance of my race's advancement! And what's this Chu-Chu jelly about Nabooru not recognizing me as her king?!"

Twinrova knew the answer. "I think Nabooru is afraid to take sides because she does not want to be crushed by us or the Hylians."

Ganondorf was not appeased, but he wanted to hear what else Ghirahim had found out. "Nabooru is a traitor to the Gerudo race, but I don't necessarily want to make her my enemy so quickly. Let us hear the rest, Demon."

Lord Ghirahim's lack of patience constantly put him at odds with his king, but he somehow managed to control his raging temper tantrums of diamond crystals.

"Very well, sire. Four—"

Bryne interrupted, "You already told us your fourth point."

Ghirahim gave the junior member a murderous stare of hatred. "Yes, yes, I already said that," and under his breath, "Forget the goddess-damn numbers!"

With a stroke of his hair, the Demon Lord revealed some interesting facts.

"The so called 'Army of the Goddesses' is confined to a defensive position within Zora's Domain. We have seized Kakariko and all the Hylian cities in Hyrule Field, but there still remain Hylian outposts across the Great Sea to the far west and the frigid Tal Tal Heights to our south. Seeing that the Zoras have apparently joined our common enemy, an attack on the princess's forces would be unadvisable at this point in time. The Tal Tal Heights are also too naturally well-defended, while the archipelago off the western coast cannot be reached without our control of either the Gerudo or the distant port city of Mido. My suggestions are therefore as follows:  
1\. We should bolster our forces at Death Mountain to defend against Lana and Goron survivors.  
2\. The Kokiri Forest should be seized while it has no army or militia to defend it.  
3\. We must support the Ganonist Gerudo forces at least morally.  
4\. Our main devotion should be a surprise attack on the Kingdom of Castilla. Though not technically at war with us yet, the Castillians have already proven to be our enemies. We must not let them fight on their own terms or link up with the Hylian and Zora armies."

In a somewhat softer expression than normal combined with a quiet but sincere tone, Ganondorf objected to the Demon Lord's word choice. "Don't use the word 'link' for anything other than an expletive of utter blasphemy."

Ghirahim was getting really annoyed by his king's rules. "As you wish, sire."

Twinrova took the opportunity to voice her opinions. "I think Ghirahim's plan for a surprise attack on Castilla is strongly advisable. It is only a matter of time before the Castillians, ardent allies of Hyrule, declare war on us."

Ganondorf agreed. "Yes, but I have my own ideas about the other operations. I do not intend to attack the Kokiri Forest because it is nearly useless strategically and has no value to me. It is not necessary to cleanse that region of its filth yet. To secure our eastern front, General Onox will go to the Goron lands surrounding Death Mountain with reinforcements to stop the sorceress Lana from advancing any further. Bryne, you will go to the southern mountains with your forces and infiltrate Hylians outposts there; bring winter gear. Zant," the maniacal foreigner lifted his head with fear, "you will accompnay Bryne to the Tal Tal Heights and pinpoint the exact location of the Mirror of Twilight you supposedly 'popped' out of. Do not come back to me unless you find it. I have no mercy upon liars."

Ghirahim divulged some more secrets. "The civilizations in the southern mountains are controlled by several different factions. The most dangerous are led by the oracles Nayru and Din and pledge themselves to be enemies of magic users and all 'manipulators of time.' Local lords have also established their own tiny kingdoms to resist the Hylians and us, while some small towns are so remote and independent that they have not been impacted one little bit."

Ganondorf smiled devilishly. "Divided they stand no chance against my power. Their lack of unity will be their downfall. Fools will die. I will crush every last one them as they scream in agony, and then I will use their blood to irrigate the land."

The Demon King erupted in heartless laughter that brought tears to his eyes. He wiped them away with a disgustingly happy chuckle and returned his gaze to steel.

"Now...Castilla is to be my next victim. Ghirahim, Veran, and Yuga—you will lead the attack. Take as many forces as you need; this is a priority. Totally subjagating Castilla is not required, but you must destroy their will to fight."

Veran's lip curled ever so slightly. "Rules of engagement, sir?"

The sorceress had some nasty ideas.

"There are none. Have fun." Ganondorf winked knowingly.

Twinrova was shocked. "But what about the Gerudo? Now that some of them have openly supported you, they are in great danger! We must help them!"

Ganondorf had to comfort motherly Twinrova for a change. "My dear witch, without Nabooru's assent, the rebels stand no chance."

"But, Ganny!"

"Rova, I have a triforce to work on. If you wish to personally go to the Gerudo and help them, you may, but I cannot save our people when their chief defies me."

000

In the busy port city of Mido, Zelda and her little team of elite were doing the best they could to find someone to take them to Stone Watcher Island. On the other side of the Kokiri Forest, Mido was closer to the Zoras and Gerudo than Castle Town and had never really relied on central leadership. It was a beautiful merchant town that combined the culture of Hyrule with the style of the Gerudo and served as a barrier to the easternmost Zora lands.

The port itself was huge, spanning the entire city's coastline and serviceable to the largest of vessels. A stream, the same one which formed the boundary between Hyrule and Castilla and drained lake Hylia, widened to the size of a river and emptied into the sea in a tiny delta on Mido's flank. Further north, the landscape quickly escalated from low wetlands, to the dry valleys of the Gerudo.

Mido was a mixture between shabby and quaint. The seafarers that dwelt there attracted many bars and gambling houses, and odd people like the Happy Mask Salesmen made much of their business in these dumpy places. Houses were mostly abstract and home to all sorts of people. Being entirely made out of wood, the town and the ships' masts looked like toys from afar. The air in Mido was always filled with the stink of rotten fish mixed in with the more pleasant salty sea.

To Zelda's disappointment, there was no military in Mido aside from a tiny local militia and some warriorlike sea captains. While disguised as Sheik, Zelda and her company met Mayor Bo of Faron Province, the man who was overseeing the city for the time being. He proved to be very loyal and open about his stance, despite not really knowing whom he was talking to. He did not recognize Impa or anyone else in the Sheik Battalion, but he was frank and told Zelda that the city would not fall into Ganondorf's hands without a fight. He confided to her his desire that the Hylian army make a presence in Mido for protection; however, Zelda did not tell him she had the authority to actually make his wish come true.

Lientenant Mikau and Sahasrahla interrupted the princess's conversation with the mayor. Mikau was already accustomed to calling Zelda by her code name.

"Sheik, the old man here met an acquaintance of his. Looks like we got ourselves a ride."

Sahasrahla assented, "Linebeck—Link, you remember him right?—a good fellow—there's a fine ship waiting in the harbor, and he says he can secure it for us."

Zelda (Sheik) clapped her hand. "Excellent. Mayor Bo, it was good speaking to you. You'll have to pardon us."

The mayor's walrus mustache made a funny little jostle as he nodded. "Where are you folks off to? Looks like you're geared for adventuring."

The appearance of the Sheik Battalion must have been confusing. Intimidating Impa, agile Link, bookworm Shad, rough Ashei, and odd balls like Navi, Tingle, and Mikau. Then there were youthful Karane and Pipit, old Sahasrahla, and the soldier Alfonzo. What would these people have seemed like to a onlooker?

Having known Bo from afar, Impa answered truthfully before anyone else could say too much. "We are aiding Hyrule."

Bo replied, "I wish I could do the same. I feel like a sitting duck that's only here to keep order. I need to save the people of Mido from the demon Ganondorf, but what am I to use against his power? I'm reminded of an old adage from my wrestling days: 'If your opponent is stronger, wear something to weigh yourself down.' I need strong forces to help me."

Sheik (Zelda) offered a handshake. "Your dedication is noble. I know it is hard to wait and do nothing, but Hyrule will appreciate you nonetheless."

As Bo shook the undercover princess's hand, he saw a faint, triangular flicker on her wrist and looked up and said cheerily, "Good luck, Chosen Ones."

Sheik awkwardly backed away with Impa and Link and followed Mikau and Sahasrahla to the boat they were to take.

Once they were all out of ear's range, Bo quietly whispered to himself, "God save the queen."

000

"All right, everybody get one thing straight: as long as you're going to be on my ship, you're gonna follow my orders and jump when I say so."

A fiery female named *Tetra, not yet of age, was the captain of the ship that Linebeck had reserved for Sahasrahla and the Sheik Battalion. Tetra was the young leader of a band of pirates that ransacked foreign ships and attacked monster rafts that dared set sail on the high seas. Her crew was tiny, but it loved their captain, and the each one of the crew members would willingly die for her. The real mystery was how the young girl had earned the respect of six skilled seafaring men.

Standing aboard Tetra's ship with the rest of the battalion, Link whispered in Sahasrahla's ears, "You got to be kidding me. This ship is owned by that little brat?"

The old man shrugged. "This is what Linebeck got us. He's a very picky man. I doubt—I mean I don't think he would play a trick on us."

Tetra got sight of Link's muttering and stormed over to him and pointed an accusing finger. "You! Yeah, you, the funny guy with the green shirt—stop mumbling like an idiot! If you're gonna speak, say it loud so everybody can hear!"

Tetra then continued her tirade of insults and threatened to chain anyone who disobeyed her in irons and throw them in the brig. She was a little bit worried that a detachment far bigger than her crew was to be on board her little vessel. Although she always had a harsh demeanor, her close friends knew that she only kept a mask to protect herself.

"Now that we got that covered, are ye adventurers ready to set sail?" The little pirate winked mischievously.

Zelda stepped forward, of course with her Sheik disguise still on. "How quickly can you get us to Stone Watcher Island?"

Tetra put her hand on her cheek. "Hmm...what would you say Mako?"

Mako was one of the three short fellows who served Tetra. The most striking thing about him were his glasses, of which one of its lenses had a swirling pattern that probably distorted his vision. However, he was highly intelligent and worked as the ship's main engineer. Much of the machinery onboard was personally designed by the little genius.

Mako quicky surmised the length of the journey. "I would say about two hours."

That was much faster than Zelda had assumed. If they were quick, perhaps the Sheik Battalion could be in Gerudo before nightfall! The only issue was that Zelda, Link, and Sahasrahla had no idea why they were being led to Stone Watcher Island. Maybe a great trial was awaiting them there with a fitting reward like the Master Sword?

Tetra tried to make her passengers get out of the way. "Well, we're ready to set sail. It will be easier if you all go down below. Sometimes watching the sea can worsen your nausea."

Zelda's group of prideful warriors took some offense from Tetra's assumption that they were all going to be feeling unwell. Link was plain scared of becoming seasick. He had a reputation to live up to. Any signs of weakness in him might cause his comrades to feel hopeless.

Impa corralled the grumbling soldiers into the ship's core to give Tetra's crew the room it needed. From below, the little pirate could be heard on deck barking orders.

"Niko, get that anchor up! Gonzo, keep her steady! I don't wanna have to pay for scraping the paint off some dork's yacht! Senza, help Nudge with the sails!"

Zuko called out from his lookout tower, "Weather balmy with few clouds in sight! No other ships in area aside from fishing vessels."

Tetra cried out in a manner that seemed forgetful of politeness, "Aye! We're off then and in good standing too, you idiots!"

In the spacious cabin below, Tingle and Sahasrahla were arguing about map accuracy while Mikau and Alfonzo were sparring for practice. Karane and Pipit sat in a corner together appearing to be quite comfortable with each other. Since Ashei was already bored, she decided to challenge Shad to a game of chess with a wooden set that must have been one of the crew member's.

Zelda asked Impa about Tetra, "What do you think of her?"

Impa bent her lips. "Well, she seems to be loyal to our side, but I honestly think her way of life is no better than that of a pirate."

Zelda giggled. "Is that not because she is one?"

Eavesdropping Link laughed at that.

Impa smiled but stayed still. "Perhaps so, but don't let her hear you say that. I don't want to have to mutiny if Captain Tetra decides to arrest you because she was not aware you are a princess."

Link really struggled to contain himself from laughing at Impa's words.

Zelda corrected Impa. "I thought we agreed that no one is to call me by my title?"

Impa sighed. "Oh, I don't know Zelda. This 'Sheik' stuff is pretty darn crazy in my opinion."

"It's for my own protection!"

Impa frowned. "I am well aware that you also intend to use this disguise to allow you to fight hand-to-hand combat."

"Oh, Impa—"

"Don't 'oh' me. I did not live like a recluse in a forest for sixteen years to have you die to some Ganonist Gerudo."

"Impa I have powers, and I intend to use them for good," Zelda argued.

Impa shook her head. "You're a stubborn little thing, you know that?" She paused. "You very well know that your intentions to use magic might end up hurting yourself."

Before Zelda could respond, Navi came screaming into the ship's interior. "Eeeek! The ship's being attacked!"

Link stood up. "What?!"

Tetra shouted to those below, "All hands on deck!"

All of Zelda's warriors came scrambling up ladders except Tingle and Sahasrahla. Several of Tetra's pirates had their swords drawn and were hunchbacked looking skyward. Before anyone could question what the matter was, a large bird came swooping down with its talons eagerly stretched out for a victim.

"Hit the deck!" Navi screamed.

Lieutenant Mikau, the Zora, was the most surprised. "What the #%&$ was that?!"

Tetra hurried to the ship's highest level. "If any of you know how to shoot arrows, get to work!"

Karane and Pipit got their bows and worked in unison with Link, while Impa, Shad, and Ashei prepared their throwing knives. The giant bird came around for a second attack and was able to rip the main sail and knock Zuko out of his crow's nest. Link managed to lodge a single arrow in the feathers of the bird though. The nefarious creature was known as the Helmaroc King. It was a monstrous eagle that could carry off a human all the way to Ganondorf if it wanted to.

Tetra shouted, "He's comin' 'round again! Get him this time, or he'll tear apart the ship!"

As the roc came diving down with a beat of its wings, Zelda daringly used magic to stop it. She tried to blow the bird as far away as possible with a blast of Farore's Wind. Her spell nearly stopped the roc in mid air, allowing the archers to get an easy shot. Someone threw a knife straight at the bird's breast and caused a bloody wound that forced the eagle to withdraw. Flapping its wings desperately, the Helmaroc King managed to fly away without sustaining any more injuries, but its chances of reaching its home island or the mainland were dubious.

Tetra laughed in victory. "Good shot, whoever threw that!"

Impa knew she had missed. "It was either Shad or Ashei."

The scholar doubted himself. "I think Ashei got the kill."

"It doesn't really matter who did it so long as that thing's outta here, right?" At least Ashei was modest.

Impressed by the Sheik Battalion's quick work, Tetra warmed up to her passengers and asked them what they needed to do on Stone Watcher Island.

Zelda answered honestly. "We seek the treasures of the island."

That was enough to make Tetra tell Gonzo, "Full speed ahead! That sail can get fixed later!"

000

Peering through his telescope, Zuko called out from above, "Land ho!"

Navi worked herself up for nothing. "It's the island, the island! I see it! I see it! Look, Zelda!"

The princess did something Link had always wanted to: she firmly grabbed the little fairy right out of the air. "The name is Sheik from now on! Someone might hear you!"

Navi was too focused on Zelda's imprisoning hand and did not even hear her. "Ow! My poor wings! How could you! Let me go!"

"Shut up!" Zelda lost her cool.

Crumpled up in the princess's hands, Navi wanted to cry. "You insufferable monster!"

"I said shut up!"

Link again was trying to contain his laughter. Though he loved Navi as a friend, it felt good to see the princess put the fairy in her place. Impa was a little bit alarmed by Zelda's rough treatment though. Through the side windows of the ship, Karane and Pipit were looking out at the tiny island and discussing its shape. Ashei and Shad seemed disinterested and continued their game of chess. Meanwhile, Tingle was showing Alfonzo and Mikau where they were on the map.

Sahasrahla came down from the deck. "Tetra says she cannot drop us off because she doesn't want to risk beaching the ship. Her crew is preparing a little rowboat for us off the port side."

Zelda dropped Navi like a ball of dust. "How many can it fit?"

"Only four."

"Hmm...Impa, you're coming, right?"

The Sheikah woman scowled at the disguise of Zelda, the ninja. "Only if you need me...Sheik."

"Good. Link, get yourself ready."

The boy put his special green hat on. "All ready."

"Let us go then."

Zelda, Link, Impa, and Sahasrahla went up top to depart. The entirety of Stone Watcher Island was visible only a few hundred feet away. It was unfortunate that everybody could not go. After Zelda settled in the rowboat that Tetra had prepared for her, Niko and Mako lowered the vessel slowly into the thick waves below. The tiny boat hit the water with a plop that splashed water on its passengers.

Sahasrahla asked, "Who's rowing?"

Zelda grabbed the rudder. "Link and Impa, of course."

Link looked back at Tetra's ship and could see his comrades Mikau, Alfonzo, Karane, and Pipit waving their support. They were lucky. Putting all his might into the sea and getting splashed in the face with salt water, Link regretted being the Hero. Yep, he should have just chickened out and stayed in the Kokiri Forest all his life with Saria.

After circling the whole island once, Impa determined that there was no way to dock the little rowboat. "We'll have to carry it onto the land."

Link was tired. "But that ledge is steep!"

Impa took the rudder handle from Zelda and addressed her by her code name without even thinking about it. "Sheik, you get off first. Watch the weight ballance! Easy."

Zelda got onto the slippery slope of the rocky island and helped the old man Sahasrahla out as well. Link and Impa jumped out quickly and tried to bring the wooden mass over the ledge to flat ground.

"Pull it up! Come on!"

After considerable grunts on Link's part, they managed to get the boat on ground level. Stone Watcher was certainly a bare island. Aside from the grass, a few plants and trees, and a huge rock, there was nothing there.

Impa put her hands on her hips. "Well, this is a disappointment."

Sahasrahla lifted a finger. "Ah! But we must find the tunnel!"

Link was sour. "I suppose that means digging?"

Zelda walked over to the large rock at the island's center. "Link, can you move this?"

The expression on Link's face was indescribable. He stared at Zelda as though she were trying to convince him that she was Ganon.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, hurry up. I'll help you."

In a magnificent display of strength and magic, Link and Zelda managed to role the large stone over on its side until it was upside down. An unnerving, round hole stood right where the rock had been lying. It looked like an entrance to the Dark Realm. While Link and Impa stood in awe of the discovery, Sahasrahla was standing over the overturned rock mumbling to himself. Zelda asked him what he was doing.

The old man pointed at the shapes carved on the rock's bottom. "Look! There is ancient Hylian written on here! It says, 'To the seeker of the relic, hear my call; to find the sacred blade, defeat them all. Take this trial and all the following trials with only your own courage.'"

Link gulped. Impa put a hand on his back and reminded him yet again of his duty. "This must be it, Hero. Show your courage, and get the job done."

Link took a deep breath and nodded in compliance. What did he have to lose?—just his life. What did the nation have to lose?—its freedom.

As Link was about to lower himself into the black hole, Zelda grabbed his hand. "I'm going with you!"

Impa felt like she was repeating herself for the eightieth time. "Sheik, you can't go down there."

Sahasrahla shrugged. "I have to agree with Impa on this one. The engraving clearly states Link must conquer this trial alone."

Zelda knew they were right. She gave Link's hand a little squeeze to which he replied with a smile and a sparkle in his eyes. As the young Hero lowered himself into the dungeon, the princess's stomach sank with him. She could feel the burden he and she had, and how much weight their actions had. Deep in Zelda's heart, she could feel a simple yet indescribable connection to Link. Oh, goddesses, was she falling for him again?

000

Impa crossed her arms. "It's been almost half an hour."

"I will see what he is doing." Zelda had been communicating with Link as he conquered Stone Watcher Island's tunnel.

Zelda conveyed telephatic messages to him: "Link, is everything fine? What are you doing now? ...Link? ...Link!"

Impa saw the worried look on her face. "Sheik, what's the matter?"

Zelda shook her head. "I do not know. He is not answering. Something is wrong!"

Garbed in her Sheikah suit, Zelda rushed to the tunnel's entrance.

"Impa, come on!"

Sahasrahla watched nervously as the two of them entered the tunnel to find Link. "For the love of Nayru, please come back with him!"

Impa rolled up her sleeve. "We will."

To Zelda's alarm, her legs found no ground beneath her, and she fell straight down the tunnel in free fall. Her and Impa's bodies both fell to the bright bottom of the dungeon and were slowed by some ethereal force. Getting her footing, Zelda immediately sighted Link nearby dueling a Darknut in a circular room filled with pillars.

"Link!"

Zelda came charging over to help him while Impa searched frantically for a knife hidden in her clothes. Having already disposed of the Darknut's armor, Link used his last bit of strength to land a strike on the soldier-like monster's head. Utterly exhausted and cut in several places, Link fell to his knees in time for Zelda to catch him. Impa lowered her hand that was holding a dagger.

Zelda was surprised how easily the "invincible" Hero had been hurt.

"Why did you not tell me you were in trouble!? Why did you ignore me?"

Link lit up with a smile and took her hand in his. "I had to get through all these rooms or fail the test. I had to show courage." The circular room they were in was surrounded by stone doors leading to the arenas he had fought in.

"Oh, you reckless—"

Zelda was stopped by the famaliar feeling of Impa's hand on her back.

"We need to go, Sheik. Link needs to be patched up."

Ironically, Zelda was now getting annoyed by Impa's constant use of her code name. It was always "Sheik, this; Sheik, that." As usual, Impa had found a way to make the princess regret her actions.

Link pointed to one of the stone doors. "My reward must be in that room."

Impa hurried away. "I'll get it. You two stay put."

Zelda and Link sat together on the dungeon floor obediently waiting for Impa's return. The Sheikah woman found an old chest inside the room and opened it to find yet another map. After taking one glance at it, she snatched it up and brought it to Zelda. The princess examined the stained paper and suddenly lit up with excitement.

"It is in the eastern Tal Tal Heights!"

"What is?!" Link questioned.

"The Master Sword, silly! Now we know exactly where it is! Look!" Zelda pointed at the location on the map.

Link smiled from ear to ear and whispered, "Worth it."

Impa, Link, and Zelda hurried out of the dungeon by way of a levitating power source and found Sahasrahla frowning but happy to see them. Next to his head was the purple orb of Navi. Zelda did not notice the sad atmosphere and exclaimed that they had found a sure lead to the Master Sword. Navi, however, was mortified by the relatively minor wounds Link had sustained and took to her usual squeaking. Meanwhile, Sahasrahla just stood there gravely and made no reaction.

Impa knew something was up. "What's the matter?"

Navi spoke up before Sahasrahla could explain. "We have some bad news."

All of Zelda's good feelings threatened to dissipate. "What is it?"

Navi announced, "As of a few hours ago, Castilla has come under attack by enormous forces from Ganondorf. Spryte flew all the way out here across the sea to let us know. I have some words from the Castillian leaders including Hubert."

Zelda took the letter and read it out loud in a tone that got more desperate as she read.

"A quote from the Castillian army leader: 'We will fight to the finish, but we cannot last long without help.'  
Published stance of the Castillian prime minister: 'Castilla is now officially alligned with the Army of the Goddesses, and its government agrees to follow the Hyrulean monarchy through this war.'  
Some words from King Hubert: 'We are all together now. Fear not Hylians, for we have a good fight to fight!'  
And from Princess Hilda: 'It is of the utmost importance that Hyrulean forces be sent to aid Castilla promptly. Do not forget us after all we have done for you.'  
And from," Zelda paused, "...from Prince Phillip: 'Wish me luck! I'm going to represent the crown at the frontline. Should anything happen to me, I wish to convey my appreciation to Link for his years of service and noble embodiment of the Hylian people, and to Princess Zelda for her resolution to fight Ganondorf and willingness to accept my love and our engagement. May the goddesses be with us all. Amen."

Zelda closed the letter with a snap.

"Everybody, get back in the boat. We are returning to Tetra's ship. We need to go to Mido or a Gerudo port city as soon as possible!"

000

Author's note:

*Tetra is indeed a separate character in this story although it is shown in the Wind Waker that she is actually Zelda. 


	27. Level 5: Gerudo Valley

Chapter 27: Level 5: Gerudo Valley

Its sail still ripped from the Helmaroc King's clawed feet, Tetra's ship cut through the waves with the wind at its back at its bow pointed toward the Gerudo coastline. After receiving the news of Ganondorf's attack on Castilla, Zelda was determined to get back on the mainland and do whatever was necessary to save the allied kingdom from defeat. Although the Zora lands were a fortress, central Hyrule was still captured, the Gorons were defeated, Gerudo was in civil war, and now Castilla was under heavy assault.

"We need to get to the Loyalists as fast as possible," Zelda argued.

Tingle looked at his map and was sure there was no way to get through the rocky Gerudo coast. "If we don't go back to Mido, by my magic words, we'll have to sail too many miles north before we find a safe place to land in Gerudo!"

Tetra cried from afar, "Nonsense! I could drop you all off at one of the fjords!" She was talking about steep inlets that were used as landing grounds by Gerudo pirates.

Sahasrahla worriedly inquired, "Is that safe?"

Gonzo gave the ship a quick turn. "Nope. But if Ms. Tetra believes we can do it, it's worth a try."

"I hope so." Zelda paused for a second and then told Navi, "I want you to fly out to Zora's Domain and have the Royal Court send over a division of the army under command of Lord Auru to secure Mido. Should things go poorly in Castilla, we cannot risk letting Ganondorf get access to the sea and cutting off the Gerudo."

Navi was not eager to fly over the Great Sea, but remembering how irrefutable Zelda had become, the little fairy did not complain and flew into the air with no intention of failing her task.

Zelda asked, "Tatl is the fairy in Gerudo, right? Will she know where to find us? I am sure she can give us some clues about where to find the loyalist Gerudo leader."

Link shrugged. "I dunno. What did Navi say about our fairy messengers, Sahasrahla?"

"When Spryte informed Tatl about the invasion of Castilla on her home trip, I am sure she also told her our coordinates and plans. If there is anything important Tatl wants to tell us, she'll find us; I'm sure."

Link doubted that. Fairies were not very dependable—especially not Tatl. She was probably baking in the scorching sun of Gerudo lapping up nectar from an exotic, dryland flower species.

Ashei looked up from her chess game with Shad. "Let's just get ourselves into Gerudo alive first, eh? That rocky coast has been many a seafarer's grave."

Tetra put her hand on Gonzo the pilate's back. "Leave that part to us."

000

Tetra's clipper edged its way into a small inlet surrounded on both sides by steep hills. The ever-changing limestone cliffs on either side reflected the afternoon light with a sharp glare. The sky above was absolutely void of clouds but filled with a dismal haziness from the humidity. At the bottom of the anti-lagoon were several daring, hearty plants that grew up strong and thick only to be overtaken by the merciless waves and eventually sent to the bottomless ocean.

The fjord was an uncomely place and seemed more like a barricade than a secret entrance. There were a surprising number of fish in the area and even some sharks. Gulls, brown and dirty, were constantly dueling one another over cuttlefish scraps. Smaller aquatic birds with jetted tails and streamlined bodies made their nests in the crevices of the rocks further inland. The abundance of wildlife was perhaps the only comforting thing about the area.

Tetra gave Gonzo the wheel and said mysteriously, "This waterway leads to an underground lake in a tunnel."

Zelda questioned, "Is that how we will make our way inland?"

Tetra laughed and threw her hand down. "Oh, no! That place is the scariest Keese habitat in Hyrule! And it's even rumored that they aren't the only monsters living in there. Nobody in their right mind would go in that tunnel. The only way in is over the top. I mean, you'll have to climb over the rocks to get onto the Gerudo plateau."

"Climb?!"

"Yes, the limestone walls began to staircase as we get further inland."

Sahasrahla rubbed his chin and asked Tetra, "How do you intend to reverse your ship in this narrow passage?"

The ship was floating dangerously close to the precipices on either side. One jerky turn on Gonzo's part, and the ship could be beached or scraped.

"That's my little secret." Tetra winked.

The waterway they were using was actually a small river that came from an underground water pool. Over the years it had slowly eroded and widened itself until now a ship could sail through it. It was made up of freshwater of the purest quality that collected mostly from the acidic rain that hit the Gerudo highlands and skidded over the dry ground until it found its way into crevices leading to the stalagtite-ridden tunnel Tetra had spoken of. It was really a beautiful creation of nature.

As the ship inched its way to the end, Tetra instructed Niko to get the anchor ready.

"We don't want to get stuck in the sandbars now."

Tetra leaned over the railing of the ship to get a good look at how far she could get her ship in the little cove without risk of damage. Signaling Gonzo and Niko with her hands, she expertly estimated the space before her.

"Steady...steady. STOP!"

Gonzo gave the rudder a jerk as Niko let the anchor plummet into the relatively deep water.

Tetra cupped her hands and shouted, "Ahoy! All passengers prepare to disembark! Senza, prepare the boat for the landing party!"

Sahasrahla pointed out the obvious. "We can't all fit in that landing craft."

Tetra put her hands at their proper place—her hips. "Right. That's why I brought you out this far. Some will have to swim."

The Sheik Battalion members, who had been preparing their personal items and weapons, were not expecting to have to get wet. However, Mikau, the Zora, could care less. He dove into the water and called back, "Come on in! It's as warm as a Gerudo bath!"

Zelda asked for volunteers. "Who else can swim?"

Karane and Pipit looked at each other and then answered in synchronization, "We can."

Alfonzo, Shad, and Ashei followed likewise. As the warriors took off their unnecessary dress and armor, Shad made a somewhat inappropriate joke aimed at Ashei.

"Maybe now I shall finally see what lies under this woman's thick clothes and rough manners."

She responded with lightning reaction. "Maybe if I punch you in the face, I can see what kind of empty void lies behind those glasses."

In response to the Castillians' facetiousness, Alfonzo gave a rather ludicrous, sideways smirk of pity. He mumbled some offensive remark about their nationality, but dared not repeat it when asked. On the other side of the ship, Link was clumsily trying to take his shirt off his head but got tangled up in his chainmail and could not see his hands in front of him.

Zelda did a Sheik stance and tapped her foot once before exclaiming, "What on earth are you doing, Link?"

Link responded with a muffled request to help get his shirt off his face.

"Link, just stop. You're coming with me in the rowboat."

He put his green shirt back down and countered, "But there needs to be room for Tingle."

"He's a dwarf! Now come on! Stop playing games and trying to be the sacrificial hero all the time."

Link had to give in and take his proper place in the boat, oar in hand. Tetra's crew lowered Zelda, Impa, Sahasrahla, and Tingle down along with him. They even were kind enough to send Senza overboard so he could swim with them and return the boat to Tetra's ship after they reached the shoreline. Whether or not he had volunteered was not evident.

Link and Impa paddled the small distance to the beach and unloaded all the weapons and personal belongings the others had left behind. Afterward, Lieutenant Mikau sprang out of the water gracefully and landed on his feet after twirling like a dolphin. Karane, Pipit, and Alfonzo were already ashore squeezing the water out of their underclothes too. Senza arrived afterward to take the rowboat back to Tetra's ship, but Shad was still lagging behind in the bay.

Ashei called back to him, "Hey, Bookworm, need any help?"

Out of breath, he gave no reply. Shad was not able to endure as much as the trained warriors could. He had always been the brains of the Resistance, while people like Rusl and Ashei did the physical work. When he sloppily threw his exhausted body onto the sandy beach, Ashei noticed something was wrong.

"Where are your glasses?"

Before Shad could answer, the image of Tetra appeared ferociously swimming towards them. The young captain came onto the beach soaking wet with her hand holding two shiny lenses in the air.

"Sheik! One of your people dropped this on the deck!"

Zelda and Link came over to her and were promptly followed by the half-blind scholar. Zelda took the glasses from Tetra's hands and gave them to an appreciative Shad. Before anyone could express gratitude though, Tetra went skipping away to catch a ride back to her ship with Senza in the rowboat.

Zelda called out to her, "Thank you for everything!"

Standing inside the boat, Tetra waved once before falling backward when Senza began rowing. Behind the little piratian, her mighty ship could be seen floating in defiance of its many wounds and scars. That ship and its people had earned a great deal of respect with their good deeds.

Hyrule had always lacked a formal navy. Somehow the security of the nation's coastlines was never regarded as something the monarchy was responsible for. But after seeing Tetra and her talented crew in action, Zelda silently tucked away in her mind an idea to make a royally supported navy finally become a reality.

The young princess then returned her mind to the present and turned around to see her battalion slowly making its way up the jagged but level cliff before her. So much like a staircase it appeared, that Zelda was reminded of Hyrule Castle and its grand room reserved for balls—a place Ganondorf now controlled.

Zelda sighed once before realizing that the only person still by her side was Link.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yes, let's go. Keep an eye on Sahasrahla for me. The heat will come suddenly."

Link nodded and jumped onto the next highest rock and outstretched his hand for Zelda to grab. She declined with an unintentional smile, claiming she had to live up to her Sheik disguise. Princesses are supposed to accept favors from knights, but not ninjas.

000

With the help of Tingle's maps and Sahasrahla's guidance, the Sheik Battalion managed to bring itself to a small town that sat next to a seasonal oasis. While the group made its trek down from the Gerudo plateaus, the air began to thicken as the elevation decreased and the dirt and rock turned into clean sand. The tents of vagabonds and travelers were pitched all around the rural area where open trade markets and music flowed slowly. Aside from a few normal glances, the Gerudo women carried on with their afternoon business and did not seem to care a bit about Zelda's approaching warriors.

The catchy notes of a famous Gerudo song were the only solace to Mikau, who was very out of place in the dry land.

"Man, that's a hot beat! I wish I had my guitar." Mikau played a special instrument made from the petrified bones of a flat but wide fish skeleton composed of skinny bones.

Impa pitied the poor Zora who had lost more than Princess Lulu by fighting Hyrule's war. "I hope you live to see that guitar again someday, Lieutenant."

Link pointed at one of the musicians, a bird holding an accordion. "Hey! I know that guy!"

"Whom?" Zelda questioned.

"Kass, the blue bird."

"And how could you know him?"

"I met him when I let loose all the captives in Maleficent's dungeon. She stole him from the future using time portals."

Zelda thought Link had finally gotten over the "visions" he had received from Ganon's spirit. But it was no vision he was referring to. Maleficent had done quite a bit of tomfoolery before she was sentenced to the Dark Realm. Replicating Kass's spirit from the future was one of her many feats. However, in no way was Zelda going to believe that fairy tale.

"Rubbish."

"No, really, let's talk to him," Link countered.

Zelda pointed her nose upward. "We have not the time."

Link finally realized that he was talking too much and stopped pushing the subject.

Fixated on her objective, Zelda asked Sahasrahla, "Where do you think the majority of the Loyalist Gerudo are hiding?"

Getting no answer, Zelda looked back to find the old man twitching his eyebrow to his left.

"What—"

"Shh!" Impa grabbed her shoulder a little roughly and explained with a whisper, "We are being followed."

Zelda looked back to see a scary yet unique parade of masked Gerudo trailing Zelda and her warriors. Strangely, the musicians, including Kass, had also gotten up and begun tailing them nonchalantly. What did they want? Were they Ganonists? Pirates? Criminals? Karane and Pipit were white with fear.

"What do we do?" Karane asked with a shaky voice.

Impa did not even turn her head. "Just keep walking."

As Zelda and her company marched through the Gerudo settlement, more and more masked faces began appearing both behind them and even in front of them. The Gerudo took no care to hide their lances and even started pushing the Sheik Battalion to move in a certain direction.

Impa spoke from the corner of her mouth. "Do any of you know how to teleport?"

Shad turned back and pretended to scratch his arm and mouthed yes. Zelda, of course, also knew the art of teleportation quite well.

"Well, good luck to the rest of you." Impa knew they were practically done for.

Tingle fakely coughed and asked, "Maybe we should, uh...stop?"

"If you want this place to be your grave, sure," remarked Ashei coldly.

Sahasrahla tried to calm their fears by sharing what he knew without talking too loudly: "This is the Gerudo's way of testing each other. When tribes clash over land ownership, they do these marching rituals. Notice how they've encircled us. If we stop, they will think we are defying them and will attack us. If we keep going where they want, they will escort us out of their territory unharmed and think us to be cowards."

"Sounds like 'damned if I do, damned if I don't.'" Link could not help himself.

Mikau was sweaty and upset. "Goddesses be damned! We'll never get anything done here if they treat us like this!"

Remembering her visions of the future, Zelda was calm and assured. "Just wait. We might be missing something here."

000

The march went on for nearly an hour until the landscape had become solid desert. Kass and the other musicians were still playing the same old song over and over again until it became menacing. Were the Gerudo going to massacre all of Zelda's chosen right in the middle of nowhere? Before anyone became too suspicious, a large fortress city came into view and the encircling Gerudo started to back off.

"They'll all behind us now," Sahasrahla noted.

Impa lifted her head to point ahead. "Not really. Look."

The gates of the city opened wide as dozens of fully-equipped Gerudo women came pouring out to meet them. The other Gerudo that were behind suddenly stopped moving and lined up in ranks. With nowhere to go and potentionally hostile Gerudo forces on either side of her, Zelda nearly felt inclined to surrender.

Ashei was herself right up to the end and unemotionally said goodbye with her dry humor. "Well, it was nice knowing you, Hylians."

Some of the armed Gerudo came up close and chanted insults:

"Demon-loving dogs."

"Son of a pirate!"

"Stupid Hylian voe!"

One of them even slapped Alfonzo on the face before she was stopped by her superior.

"Sasha!"

One of the Gerudo, a physically large woman with lavish gold-platted armor rebuked her underlings. Her georgous hair was nearly blood red and seemed impossibly thick. She definitely had to be the leader since she was the only one without a mask hiding her face.

Impa stepped forward with a new hope. "Urbosa?"

The towering woman's face immediately softened when she recognized her old friend the Sheikah. She called out Impa's name repeatedly, and the two embraced like sisters. They had not seen each other since eighteen years earlier when Impa traveled Hyrule as Queen Leah's aid. Zelda and the rest had no idea what was going on and were absolutely shocked.

Urbosa was confused herself. "My dear Impa, what in Din's name are you doing with these rogues?"

"How dare you!" Zelda had had enough.

Impa quieted Zelda and explained, "These warriors are serving the legitimate government of Hyrule. We came here to help."

Urbosa squinted her eyes in confusion. "I don't understand. My scouts reported that you had disembarked from a pirate ship in a secluded bay. I was sure you were a band of defectors working under the evil Ganondorf."

Impa laughed jubilantly and told her how Tetra had helped out and was not a bad pirate at all.

Urbosa was still unsure. "I see, but for what reason did you bring this token force here?"

Impa introduced Zelda to Urbosa and whispered in her ear that she was the princess undercover and that the other people were scholars and elite soldiers including the reincarnate Hero Link. Satisfied, Urbosa told her women to back off and then thought for awhile before revealing the details.

"Well, have no fear my friends. I am the chief of the Loyalists who pledge allegiance to the same entity you do. It is ironic that you show up today, however. Tonight, I had planned to eliminate all the Ganonists with mass assault and thereby coerce our great Cheif Nabooru to renounce her declaration of neutrality." She paused. "But now that you are here, I think I can get Nabooru on our side before the violence even starts. This will bring us many more allies, as well as enemies."

"What do you mean?" Zelda questioned.

Urbosa explained, "Both Nabooru and the majority of the tribes are afraid to do something against Ganondorf or the Hylians for fear of reprisal. But civil war has already begun, and now that you are here, we can be political. We might generate a lot of chaos by our actions, but change can be good. Nabooru needs to wake up."

Zelda nodded understandably. "May I ask who the Ganonist leader might be?"

Urbosa laughed darkly with a hiccup. "I am ashamed to admit this, but it's Aveil, my own daughter."

000

Three hours later, Urbosa managed to escort Zelda and company to the Gerudo capital. Having worked with Nabooru all her life, Urbosa was able to bring Zelda directly to the chief's chamber despite objections from the more hardcore neutral members of Nabooru's cabinet. Zelda had to remove her Sheik disguise momentarily to prove that she was the princess, but her brief revelation was surely worthwhile.

Nabooru immediately swore her allegiance and announced to her people that she was now fighting for the Army of the Goddesses. As expected, thousands more Gerudo took up arms both for and against the crown. Heavy fighting and fires ravaged the capital for a while before Urbosa's troops came in to help Nabooru's and drive the Ganonists away to their strongholds. There was still much fighting to be done before Gerudo could be united again though.

Unfortunately, Nabooru was forced to imprison some of her top advisers who refused to recognize the princess as sovereign of all of Hyrule. Zelda naturally felt somewhat guilty that she was causing so much bloodshed between the Gerudo people, but she was also well aware that the Ganonists were wicked and a lost case morally. Tatl, the fairy who had been reporting on Gerudo, rejoined the Sheik Battlaion and gave graphic stories of the cruelty of the Ganonist Gerudo. Zelda's warriors were infuriated by the abuse and desired to join Urbosa's and Nabooru's forces in their fight for the common good.

Before definite plans could be made though, Spryte arrived from Castilla with her report of the battle there. Tatl immediately began to press the other fairy for information, but Spryte's pessimistic attitude was a warning that something was terribly wrong.

Sahasrahla asked her, "What has happened? Is the fight really over already?"

Spryte sighed and landed on Tingle's shoulder to rest. "Ganondorf sent everything into the battle. Enormous monsters and an alarming number of possessed soldiers attacked with strong commanders like Ghirahim leading." She sighed again and went on, "Castilla lost most of its forces right at the start and was only saved by Ganondorf's orders for his troops to retreat. The loses on both sides were detrimental."

"How...many?" Zelda carefully inquired.

"About three quarters of the Castillian army is dead or missing. The Iron Guards suffered from attacks within the castle too by sorcerers like Veran. Shad, I'm sorry to say that the Resistance was totally annihilated; they were targeted by special forces under Ghirahim. Even Rusl and Telma are gone. Civilians were not spared."

Tatl was already messily bawling at this point, and Shad had to swallow a lump in his throat. If Link and Zelda did not now see the harsh reality of war and the urgency of their quest, they never would.

Spryte reluctlantly went on. "Many other notable figures are dead including the Castillian prime minister, the Insect Princess Agitha, and...Prince Phillip."

Link's world fell apart. The shock was unbearable. Tingle fell to his knees in respect, and Zelda's mouth hung wide open like a cave. How had it come to that? Of all the stupid things, why had Phillip been on the battlefield?! Were the Castillians so old fashioned that King Hubert just had to send his oldest child to die at the frontline as a sacrifice?! It couldn't be true!

Link repeatedly said "no" until he went mad. Losing all contact with reality, he darted away to an empty hallway of Nabooru's temple-like capital building and smashed his head against the wall and kept uttering words of disbelief. Zelda went after him and tried to tell him to calm down, but he would not listen.

Zelda was angry with him. "Link, you are acting like a child. He died for a good cause, and you must accept that. For Nayru's Love, he was my betrothed, not yours!"

Link was enraged by her comments and quickly retorted with his teeth showing, "YOU DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT PHILLIP! So what if you were going to marry him?! I served him for six years! He was like a brother to me—the only family I ever had aside from Saria! But you wouldn't understand. You're just a heartless goddess awe-struck on defeating your immortal archenemy! You don't care about what it costs!" He jammed his sword into a stone crevice. "This is all your fault!"

Zelda's face was beet red. "MY FAULT?!"

"Yeah! If it weren't for you and my screwed up 'fate,' I would have never left Phillip and could have still been by his side to protect him. But instead, I'm here going on silly quests around Hyrule with you! 'We need the Master Sword,' you said. Well, I don't give a damn about it!"

Zelda narrowed her eyes and looked positively like ice. "You are a fool and are not worthy of the Triforce whose courage you have none of."

"YOU'RE A MURDERER!"

And with that, Link left his princess with hatred and dishonor. There was blood on his hands, and too much of it was innocent. Reckless and hellbent on revenge, he took all his weapons and headed out to prepare to fight the Ganonist Gerudo. His enemies were going to receive his wrath.

000

Disappointed, Zelda returned to her warriors and tried discussing strategy with Urbosa for the incoming battle. She had to do something to forget her woes. Nabooru's troops only wanted to fight defensively, but Zelda and Urbosa agreed to work together to make a nocturnal raid on the Ganonists.

Impa and Alfonzo were disappointed that Link had gone running off yet again, but Sahasrahla said the boy needed time by himself to recover. Little did they know that he had plans to go on a suicide run. The Ganonist Gerudo were not only led by Aveil, but also the witches Koume and Kotake. After Link found out about that, he decided that he wanted to take the Twinrova with him to death.

Urbosa's raids started out small and eliminated many potential threats before they even had a chance to fight back. Zelda's troops played an active role in making surgical strikes on places known to harbor Ganonists. Impa led Shad and Ashei and made arrests and assassinations when necessary while Karane and Pipit watched their backs. Zelda was given a dozen volunteers from Nabooru's army, and combined with Alfonzo and Mikau, she had a formidable little platoon to fight with. Meanwhile, Sahasrahla and Tingle stayed back at the Gerudo capital with Tatl to await Link's return and plan the route for Zelda's next destination: the Goron lands.

After their first bit of luck, Urbosa's forces soon met the cream of Aveil's rebels and were forced into bloody fights on the open desert. The Sheik Battalion kept itself in the shadows as Zelda had envisioned and spent most of its time knocking out enemy scouts and protecting the archers Karane and Pipit from harm. Zelda made several attempts to use magic to fight long-distance, but after she nearly got spotted, Impa stopped the princess before she hurt herself.

The battle went on deep into the night and forced both sides to use flares to spot the opposing side. Bolstered by Nabooru's and Zelda's special forces, Urbosa was able to quickly claim a victory and force the Ganonists to put up the white flag. The unthinkable ordeal, which necessarily required Aveil to surrender to her own mother, was missed by Zelda and her battalion because of something else that caught their attention.

"What's that?" Alfonzo, the only one to sustain an injury in the battle, pointed to glowing lights behind a sand dune.

Zelda's voice had become thoroughly distorted by her use of magic on her own body to create her Sheik disguise. "Let's find out."

Mikau went with Zelda to see where the light was coming from. The princess gasped when she saw what it was. In the distance, a battered Link was fighting with all his might against the witches Koume and Kotake.

Zelda went running and shouted back to Mikau, "Get help!"

The faithful Zora slid down the dune with his slimy body and rushed past Alfonzo shouting, "It's Link dueling some bad ones!"

After Mikau left, Alfonzo got up and grabbed his sword in his left hand. His right arm was in a sling from the wound he took. He hurried over the dunes to help Zelda and Link and was prepared to die for either one of them. Alfonzo was made out of the stuff Hyrule needed; he was nothing like the inexcusable traitors such as Bryne.

Sergeant Alfonzo had to stop for a moment to assess the situation. Zelda and Link were side-by-side defending themselves with magic and a shield respectively. The witches, being in the air, were out of Alfonzo's reach. He had to do something though. Koume and Kotake were barraging his friends mercilessly.

Zelda and Link suddenly dashed ahead of themselves and attacked. The witches responded with blasts of fire and ice. Alfonzo wondered what would happen if the two met. Zelda used her brain and magic to accomplish just that: holding Kotake still with multiple applications of Farore's Wind, she taunted Koume to shoot fire. The witch took the bait, and to her own shock, Zelda grabbed Link's hand and teleported away from the attack. The fireball went straight to her own sister Kotake, who was set free of Zelda's spell just too late to avoid getting hit, and caught her on fire.

Angry with herself for hurting Kotake, Koume fell to the ground, letting Alfonzo sneak up and finish her with one blow of his sword. Link put the other burning witch out of her misery with his own blade only seconds later. The Twinrova, Ganondorf's most beloved ally, were dead.

Amazed by their quick teamwork, Alfonzo smiled brightly. Mikau arrived with Shad, Ashei, and Impa too late to see the action, but was glad to find that everyone was okay—well, almost everyone.

Zelda forced Link to sit down on the sand. "You idiot! You could have killed yourself!"

The first thing Link uttered was an apology. "I'm sorry."

Zelda sighed. Could she really be angry with an injured boy?

"Are you all right?"

"Well, what those witches didn't understand was that the damage one did, the other healed. I'll be fine. But you must forgive me, Zelda."

Zelda gulped. "For w—what?

"For blaiming you about Phillip."

Impa stopped the two from arguing by pushing them on. "We must return to Urbosa's camp before a scout finds us. Come."

Zelda folded her hands and dipped her head. She got up from her kneeled position and helped Link stand up; as usual, he was in worse shape than he would have admitted. Shad and Ashei were going to help Alfonzo too, but he was too soldiery to let a broken arm make him an invalid.

As the Sheik Battalion walked back to the Gerudo capital, Link said to Zelda, "I want things to be a little different from now on."

The princess was still a little confused about why Link had been acting so moody lately and asked, "What do you mean?"

Link looked desperate. "I want to—I need to fight. It's the only thing that keeps me going. What I mean is that all this inactivity is bad for me. Fighting keeps my mind off of selfish things. I understand that now. So, I need you to let me go."

000 


	28. Level 6: Death Mountain

Chapter 28: Level 6: Death Mountain

Gerudo secured and Castilla no longer under threat, Princess Zelda, known as Sheik to her enemies, planned to help the surviving Gorons liberate their territory and free any survivors that were buried alive in the rocky caverns. The actual number of Gorons that got caught in Ganondorf's attack was unknown. It was assumed that everyone missing was a casualty, but many might still be eking out a living underground. The Gorons were a sturdy people, and it was not uncommon for them to get trapped under rubble while searching for their igneous delacacies that sometimes brought them right into that mountain which is called death.

A military observation of Hyrule from either Ganondorf's or the Hyruleans' perspectives was gloomy at best. The Gorons, Gerudo, and Castillians had withstood irreplaceable losses, and though Ganondorf theoretically had a endless supply of monsters, his more competent allies were being picked off one by one.

Cia was being held prisoner by the White Sorceress and the Gorons she led in the Wastelands outside Death Mountain. Unbeknownst to the Hylians, Yuga, "an effective but mad swine" as Ghirahim had called him, was lost in the bloody raid on Castilla. Zant had never returned from his expedition to prove the existance of a new Mirror of Twilight and was probably a fraud. Meanwhile, Bryne was making no headway in the icy Tal Tal Southern Heights, and Onox was about to be surrounded in the Goron mountains. Vaati refused to cooperate, and that demon Dark Link was making trouble for everyone with his absurd attempts to rule Hyrule himself.

Perhaps the losses that upset Ganondorf the most were Aveil and Twinrova. Though he had never really respected his real mother Aveil, Ganondorf had a spark of hope that she would win his people over to him. As for Twinrova, Ganondorf thoroughly enjoyed her wit and devotion to Gerudo superiority. 'Tis true that Ganon's being could not understand sorrow, but the drooping feeling Ganondorf felt when Ghirahim reported Twinrova lost in battle—and to none other than his archenemy Link—must have qualified as some level of sadness. But hurt only translated into one thing for the Demon King: hateful vengeance.

Maybe it really did not matter if his minions fared poorly in battle. It would not be long before Ganon mastered his Triforce in his latest mortal form and took to ravaging Hyrule on an intimate level again. Time was running out for Link and Zelda.

000

Still on the north side of the river that formed most of the border between Hyrule and Castilla, Zelda and her Sheik Battalion left their Gerudo allies at the dawn of a new day. Urbosa's and Chief Nabooru's Loyalists had taken over all the Gerudo lands from the west coast to the deserts with lightning fury. Many Ganonists were dead and hundreds more awaited trial for their war crimes.

The little civil war in Gerudo was a tiny conflict that was basically over. The Chosen Ones had no more business there. They needed to move on if they were going to defeat Ganondorf. Zelda's special forces had proven themselves fully able to turn the tide of any battle. Their next objective logically had to be Death Mountain to the east. Tal Tal Heights, where the Master Sword lay, would be last.

The Hyrulean-held territories currently made a frontline the shape of an _r_. The Zoras and the Army of the Goddesses held the coastline in the west from Zora's Domain to Mido harbor, and the Gerudo and Castillians held the north from the plateaus overlooking the sea (where the Sheik Battalion had disembarked from Tetra's ship) to the uninhabited western deserts of Castilla. Since the Southern Tal Tal Mountains were held by mixed forces and the Goron Lands were under fierce attack from Lana, Ganondorf's possessions were practically encircled.

Despite Link's desperate pleas, Zelda did not let him go running off as he wanted. Still grieving Phillip's death, the Hero wanted revenge, something to keep his mind busy, something to make him feel more useful. Zelda knew it would be foolish to split and risk letting Link get himself killed in an unimportant battle, and Impa insisted that he would find the fight he wanted at Death Mountain, but Link still felt angry and distanced himself from the princess because she was using her royal power against him.

Although Alfonzo had been injured in battle and Mikau was getting dehydrated, the Sheik Battalion had to storm forward on Castilla's side of the river in order to get to Death Mountain in time for the Gorons' planned attack. After a long trek through calm deserts, they arrived in the eastern Wastelands somewhere near Lana's sphere. The problem they now had was finding out exactly where the White Sorceress and the free Gorons resided. For this, they relied again on the "Fairy System."

Since Tatl had been sent back to Zora's Domain to report on the Gerudo conflict, and Spryte was still in Castilla, it was up to Navi to go find Tael, Lana, and the Gorons. She bravely took up this task without complaining for once. Beyond her annoying mannerisms was a joyous eagerness in the face of danger. Even the Great Fairies were famous for taking the time to jest before helping the Hero. Navi was not weird; she was just like any other well-trained fairy.

The purple insectoid wiggled between assymetrical rocks and over thorny bushes. Although it was not quite cold, Navi shivered in anxiety. The Wastelands always felt haunted, deserted, and full of death. Tumbleweeds traveled across the unaccommodating dirt like sorecerers disturbing the untouchable threads of fate that time follows. The blowing sand moved in never-ending, never-repeating spirals.

Harmless Navi was suddenly stopped by a force field generated by something dark—someone bad.

"Going somewhere?"

A faint smirk appeared under the black devil's red eyes.

"L–Link?" Navi stammered.

"No," the demon responded with a rasp, "I'm Dark Link."

It was fight or flight for Navi, and she took the obvious choice for a fairy her size. But before she could get away, a dark hand snatched her out of the air with deadly accuracy.

Dark Link raised his dark eyebrows arrogantly. "You're not going anywhere until we've had a good long talk."

"Please!" she pleaded, her wing feeling like the demon had severed it. "I have to go!"

He ignored her. "Tell me, what do your friends think they're doing going around Hyrule making more havoc than Dragmire himself? Don't you realize that a delicate balance of power that's been created is now being destroyed by your hasty actions?"

Navi was a little bit surprised by his statement and frowned in confusion. "Who are you?!"

"I already told you. I'm Dark Link—sworn enemy of Hylia, Demise, Vaati, and the rest of the damn deities. I fight for myself. I haven't always been quite this way, but I've learned that one's own will is the only thing worth following. My allegiance is to my self, not the gods and wannabes of this enchanting land."

"So...you're not on Ganondorf's side?"

"Nope. Never again shall I heed his orders."

Navi sillily tried to win him over. "Than that means you're with us—Hyrule—right?"

He rejected her flatly. "Wrong again, fairy girl."

"But if you hate Ganondorf, surely you know that we are the strongest force capable of taking him off his throne of lies!"

Dark Link shook his head. "I didn't say I wanted to dethrone him. I can't kill him, but likewise, he can't keep up with me. I'd rather have him here to keep the others at bay."

Navi was unsure what he meant. "What others?"

"Well, aside from YOUR people, there's Vaati, the rebels, and all of Dragmire's minions who ain't half as loyal as they seem. Surely you've heard of Ghirahim; he's an ancient."

On perfect cue, a flash of diamonds appeared and the beautifully disgusting voice of a legend.

"The name is Lord Ghirahim: Lord Ghirahim the Fabulous."

Dark Link let Navi loose and forced himself to smile believably. "Speak of the devil himself."

Ghirahim's sword materialized and he twirled it. "You mean 'demon,' don't you, my sneaky enemy?" A small laugh escaped his mouth.

Dark Link drew his sword—always a replica of Link's—and stepped forward. Ghirahim was upset that Dark Link was fraternizing with the real Link whom Ghirahim hated. Full of jealousy, Ghirahim secretly wanted Dark Link on his side.

"It seems the last time we met you were protecting that 'Hero' of our enemies. You know, I think you are far too lenient on that boy, Shade. I'm surprised you are willing to help him and his allies fight me, considering that he is practically your antimatter."

Navi, who was hovering over the two villains circling one another, was oblivious of the danger she was in and wondered what she might learn from their encounter. Dark Link would have nothing of her though. He needed to settle his feud with Ghirahim alone.

"Navi," he called out to her almost sweetly, "go to Lana. She's in Maleficent's ruins. Attack ASAP. Remember that Onox, who is in Death Mountain, can transform into a powerful dragon."

"But you just said—"

"Yeah, I say a lot of monster goo; now git, you darn fairy."

Navi was puzzeled as to Dark Link's true intentions, but she left anyway.

Ghirahim was greatly amused that Dark Link had apparently joined the other side. "My dear Shade, you never told me you were fighting for Her Grace's forces!"

"Shut it, clown. I'm only using them like you're playing Ganondorf."

"Demise wouldn't like to hear you say such naughty things, Shade. I knew you were a traitor at heart. That's way I had always argued against your existence."

"Will you quit your yapping? because your blade looks like it is just out for the heck of it. You seem to have too many uses for your tongue. I bet Veran could tell me one I didn't even know about, eh Ghiry?"

Ghirahim scowled and let out a grunt. He never took personal attacks well. "I'll fight you if you want Shade, but only if you make a deal with me:" his eyes tightened into an evil frown, "brawl to the death and no running away."

Dark Link murmured, "Hmm...no promises. I kind of like having you around."

Ghirahim took that as a taunt, and the clash between demons was on.

000

After navigating what might be called "canyons" and "valleys" by a fairy her size, Navi came flying into the Goron's camp with her usual pants and rough landing. When she landed, a burst of dusty soil and fairy dust blew up from the ground and marked her spot. A Goron saw that and pointed at the purple lump that beated as it breathed.

"Hey! What's this we got here, brother?"

Another Goron threw away the sedimentary rock he was trying to eat. The Gorons really missed their igneous rocks from death mountain and had to settle for other disgusting replacements.

"I dunno what that thing is, Goro. We should show it to da boss."

"To Brother Darunia?"

"No."

"Ya mean Lana then?"

"Yeah, I mean that."

"You mean her?"

"Yeah, brother, the sorceress."

"What sorceress? Cia? Oh, Din, not her!"

"No, Goro, stop twisting my words! I meant the White Sorceress."

"Oh...right. Well, let's show this to da boss."

The two bumbling Gorons picked Navi up, and if she was already hurting, their iron grips must have felt like torture. They brought her to Lana's headquarters: the ruins of what was once Maleficent's castle. Four days earlier when Link had freed all the captives from Maleficent's "collection," many dangerous sorcerers there were released back into the world to do mischief. Among them was Cia. Although Cia had attempted to revive Maleficent's legacy and follow in her footsteps, she was soon halted by her good counterpart Lana.

After Ganondorf attacked the Gorons and sent them retreating to the east, Cia became a candidate for Ghirahim's alliance of rebel forces. However, it did not take Lana long to capture Cia and seize Maleficent's old ruins as a bunker. Luckily, Darunia and other survivors were able to link up with Lana and form a base of operations with which to attack monsters in the area and eventually liberate the Goron lands. The once uninhabited Wastelands were now a home to Gorons, monsters (some of which Lana controlled), and even a few of Maleficent's Goons.

The Goron brothers gently dropped Navi in front of Lana, the White Sorceress who now ruled the Wastelands. Beside her was a small cage that housed a very cramped Cia; she was Lana's prisoner. Lana seemed to be quite absorbed sucking a lollipop of some sort and reading her own handwritten books on sorcery. Navi was tired and bruised from her nonstop service in the Army of the Goddesses and could hardly look up to see the two twin sorceresses that were polar opposites.

Despite being treated like an animal, Cia did not seem angry. She just looked defeated and pouty like a brat that had been put in her place. In contrast, Lana was a calm victor and the reason the Black Sorceress was now powerless. Both Lana and Cia had been stolen from the past by Maleficent's use of time portals. While in captivity, Lana stayed vigilant and sharp, and upon the return of her magic gifts, she was much more powerful than Cia. Lana was a fearsome sorceress now of equal footing with the late Maleficent. No one ever said "no" to Lana. Even the Gorons knew that.

Since Lana took no interest in the purple lump presented to her, the Gorons just shrugged and walked away. Navi was left to speak for herself. She would never have admitted it later, but Lana actually scared the little fairy out of her wings. Therefore, Navi did the reasonable thing any fairy would do: she shouted.

"Lana!"

The sorceress spit our her sucker and frowned at the purple fairy. "Who the heck are you?"

From her cage behind them, Cia drably declared, "That, Lana dear, is a fairy."

Lana was not going to take Cia's comments. "Shut up, or I'll seal your mouth closed with adhesive."

Cia backed up a bit in her tight space. "You wouldn't dare."

Lana playfully nodded and said, "I sure would. I'll even have the Gorons whip you if you're naughty, Cia."

That was enough to shut up the Black Sorceress.

Navi gulped and tried to speak. "Lana, the Army of the Goddesses is ready to liberate the Goron lands. But I met a really weird, half-bad guy named Dark Link, and he told me that there's a nasty dragon named Onox we need to worry about."

Lana suddenly got interested. "Dark Link? How many?"

"How many?" Navi squeaked. "One is bad enough! He creeped me out!"

"Be careful around Dark Links, deary. They're bad like you said. Now what is it you need?"

Lana had certainly become sweet and attentive in a flash. Given exactly what she needed, Navi was suddenly at a loss for words. Luckily, Tael, the messenger to the Gorons, had heard the commotion that Navi's arrival had made and came out to see her. Navi was apprciative to see him, and the two miniature friends exchanged condolences with their usual fairy fluff until Lana repeated herself.

"So...what do you want?"

"It's time to attack," Tael declared.

"Well, let's rock it then!"

Lana put two fingers in her mouth and whistled a piercing note. Her call made several Gorons come running to see why the sorceress was panicking. She explained in their dialect to really get the point across.

"All right, brothers!" Her somewhat girly voice sounded funny saying this. "We're movin' out to kick some monster butts! Get your rocks together and tell Darunia I need to discuss our one-two with him."

The Gorons yelled a little cheer at this and eagerly went to get their patriarch Darunia. Navi was surprised how well Lana got along with the roughest Hyrulean race; she even seemed to know their words.

Tael asked, "What's a 'one-two' again?"

Lana showed the two fairies a map covered in her preparatory sketches of the Goron mountains and answered, "Strategy!"

000

The ensuing battle, though messy, was largely uneventful. The Gorons blazed a trail west to Death Mountain with Darunia and Lana leading, while Zelda's Sheik Battalion set off a little farther in the north as soon as Navi came back with the signal that the attack was on. Somewhere in the Wastelands, Ghirahim and Dark Link were still dueling it out where Navi had left them earlier. Why was Dark Link voluntarily keeping Ghirahim back so the Hylians could reclaim the Goron lands?

Without permission, Link went running off into the thick of the fight to take on the monsters that were garrisoned near Death Mountain. Onox was the only real threat to worry about. With their clubs, the Gorons were knocking out most of the Bokoblins and Lizalfos from the battle. Meanwhile, Lana was firing orbs of destruction with Karane and Pipit's arrows, and Mikau, Impa, Shad, and Ashei were eliminating the enemy at close range.

Zelda, still wearing her blue Sheikah bodysuit and mask, stood afar off with worry. Something was up; it was too easy to be true. Alfonzo (who was recuperating from his injury), Tingle, and Sahasrahla were all safe waiting in the rear with Navi, but Zelda hesitated to enter the battle for fear of overextension. She did not want to be too aggressive.

Suddenly, everyone, including the monsters, became still when the ground they were standing on began to rumble violently. Death Mountain started releasing a cloud of ash, as it became obvious what was about to erupt.

"Take cover!" Darunia shouted at the top of his lungs.

Link found himself alone on a rocky ledge as the Moblin that he was dueling went running off. He instinctively pulled his shield out as his muscles tightened painfully. Luckily, Death Mountain did not let out anything other than ash, but its thunderous shaking was making the Goron houses collapse and rock slides start. Where was Link going to hide?

He looked up to see one of the Gorons' old lookout buildings on the top of the hill began to tip over the side. Frantically, he skidded down to the next layer of rocks, but he was still not out of harm's way. Panicking, Link slipped a little on the smooth rocks and fell to the next layer and thought he was surely going to die.

Without delay, a famaliar blue-garbed person come to his aid in seconds and pushed the two of them off the tiny ledge to ground level while the collapsing building fell behind them. They hit roughly as Link landed his back on the grassless soil.

The fake Sheikah's muffled voice chided him, "You idiot!"

Before Link could respond, the Moblins were back and began firing arrows at him and Zelda. Seeing the steel-stipped carriers of death raining upon the girl he was born to protect, Link melded Zelda's body with his and pushed the two of them rolling down the hill to relative safety. They tumbled over one another and probably would have been seriously bruised had Link not been wearing his chain mail and Zelda not learned how to fall poperly from Impa's Sheikah lessons.

They both got up quickly and dusted themselves off. Zelda seemed angry that Link was being so careless. Goddesses, did he not realize that his life was not something to be played with? Since Link was not born a royal, he was never taught the importance of preserving oneself for the people. He was willing to take unnecessary risks because he saw duty as the willingness to sacrifice.

"That settles the score," Link taunted.

Zelda opened her mouth to say something but stopped when the earth began to shake again. Death Mountain looked ready to make a historic discharge of molten lava, but the only debris that came out was pure ash. Hidden behind the wall of black smoke, the outline of a considerably large dragon slowly emerged from within the great dormant volcano.

Zelda and Link unwittingly clutched each other as the oscillation of the ground reached a dizzying speed. The dragon emerged in regal form without any disturbance other than the persistent shaking of Death Mountain. Unlike Maleficent's and Volga's transformations, that dragon did not seem to be surrounded by black magic. Flying within the volcanic debris, it seemed like a monstrous thing from nature herself.

The Sheik Battalion, Lana, and the Gorons looked up at the creature in trepidation. Their early successes had left them vulnerable to the unexpected surprise. The lesser monsters began retreating to allow the their leader full range of motion. The dragon was Onox, the General of Darkness, a hollow, bloodlusting follower of Ganon. Onox's strategy was simple: create as much destruction as possible. Ganondorf and Ghirahim had instructed him to defend the Gorons lands no matter the cost. For Onox, death did not matter as long as he brought down many of his foes with him.

The dragon roared, "Hyruleans! I am darkness and you are light! Come and get me! I dare you! Destruction will cover this land after our fight! I rule this mountain, and it will obey me. Do you truly wish to be covered in soot, pathetic beings of light?"

"Oh, ****," cursed Mikau who was covered in sweat from head to dorsal fin. He could not take it anymore.

Impa quickly told Karane and Pipit to take their places, while Shad and Ashei fell back a little to circle around and hit the dragon's flank. As soon as the ground stopped rumbling, Link picked up his sword and was ready to attack head first. Before he could get going though, Zelda put her right Triforce hand on his left. Both of their hands glowed in the corresponding corners and created a burning heat that made Link want to jerk away. He looked back at Zelda, but could not see through her Sheik disguise to read her expression.

"Be careful!" she said meaningfully.

Link nodded, but he thought that Zelda only cared about his safety because of who he was. Inside, that made him feel terribly lonely. He wanted legitimate concern. Did Zelda only see Link as a feelingless angel of Hylia whose duty was to defeat evil? Did she care about him at all personally?

Zelda retreated back to the safety of the Gorons and asked Lana, "Can you do anything to stop that hideous beast?"

Lana closed her sorcery book tightly. "I'll do my best." Since she received no response from the princess, she added, "It's nice to meet you."

Zelda had no time for formalities and only managed a quick thank you before joining Impa's side to see what the battle plan was. Onox was spewing out balls of fiery malice at the Gorons and had to be stopped before he destroyed the entire civilization. Arrows could not harm the dragon of darkness, but what else could be used against an airborne target?

"Oh, Sheik," Impa was still using Zelda's codename, "why do I have the nasty feeling that someone is going to die trying to kill this monster?"

Zelda took a glance at the destruction being caused by Onox and put one fist on her head to pressure herself to think. Her Triforce answered like it had on the day Maleficent was defeated. A crazy plan surfaced in the hazy libraries of Zelda's brain.

"Impa! The iron boots!"

The tall Sheikah had no idea what Zelda was onto. "The iron boots? What iron boots?"

"The ones Link and I retrieved from Labrynna's Labyrinth! Link must have them. With Lana's help, we can do it!"

Impa straightened her armorless outfit and said through gritted teeth, "I don't really know what you're getting at, but whatever you need to do, do it. We'll distract Onox."

Impa gave Zelda a quick pat of assurance and then joined the soldiers bravely absorbing the attacks from the feral dragon. Zelda had to quickly put her plan into motion if she was going to avoid letting anybody get hurt.

The self-acclaimed Sheikah princess was like a ballerina tiptoeing over lily pads as she made her way to the dragon. She found Link standing on an old Goron house that was somehow still standing. He was firing his arrows, trying to hit the dragon's eyes, but every shot he made was blocked by the constant movement of the serpent's scally skin. Zelda shouted for him to come down, but he ignored her out of spite.

"Get down here right now! We have to kill this thing, not scratch it!"

Link finally got tired of wasting his arrows and leaped down to her side and asked her what the fuss was about.

Not having time to argue with him, Zelda curtly asked, "Where are those iron boots?"

He immediately knew what she was talking about and turned around and took the prized metallic footwear out of one of his pouches. Zelda wondered how on earth he fit such large, heavy items in his relatively tiny sacks. Since Link said he hated magic, why would he, of all boys, want to use it for such a petty reason? More importantly, how had he learned such a strange yet interesting use of sorcery?

Fascinated by Link's pouches, Zelda lost concentration and did not realize he had already strapped the iron boots on.

"Take them off," she ordered.

Link gave Zelda a glare that seemed to shout "seriously?" but did as she asked. Once he got his feet out, Zelda handed him some green plants that looked like moss.

"Put this inside to insulate your feet."

"Zel—"

"The name is Sheik! I will not remind you again."

Link sighed and put the earthly material in the iron boots while quietly making a comment about his cursed fate. Zelda instructed him on what he was to do.

"I am going to tell Lana to electrify Onox. When she does, he should fall to the ground and you can jump on him. Your iron boots will naturally cling to the charged body whether you are upside down, sideways, or right side up."

Link took a few moments to think about this before declaring, "You're crazy."

Zelda leaned forward and spit out, "If you are not willing to try something unconventional for the greater good, you must be a coward!"

She then scampered away to tell Lana the plan, well aware that Link would do it anyway. He had to prove he was worthy of his Triforce. Well, at least that is what he thought.

Lana stretched her arms to ready herself. She had not used electric magic attacks since before she was brought to modern Hyrule through Maleficent's time portals.

"You're sure this will work?"

Zelda was desperate. "It is worth a try."

Lana was not so sure. "If it fails, Link might die. You know that?"

Zelda did not feel like worrying. "If we do not stop this dragon, many will die. So do not fail."

Lana was a little bit skeptical but was willing to try the bizarre idea. "As you wish, princess."

Princess?

Zelda had no time to ask how Lana had seen through her Sheik disguise. Onox was wrecking havoc on the Goron lands. It was time to put her plan in action.

Zelda found Link hiding behind a boulder awaiting her signal. She briefly told him what he had to do again and then made a shrill whistle—the signal for Lana to begin her assault. The White Sorceress met Onox's firey balls with a her own orbs of destruction until the dragon became quite annoyed. Lana chuckled and ceased her use of "common" magic to instead use electricity as Zelda requested. Either by accident or design, Lana let loose a lightning bolt whose accompanying clap of thunder temporarily deafened everyone in the vicinity.

Onox was not ready for the attack and got hit directly by the thunderbolt. The dragon's body lit up like a incandescent light bolb and struggled to maintain flight. Onox soon realized the only way he could discharge the electricity was to touch the ground. However, that would leave him vulnerable. As Onox hovered close to the surface confused and in a slightly paralyzed state, the peculiar sound of clomping iron clogs came toward him.

"HII—YAA!"

The Hero in green came running off a rocky cliff to land directly on top of the dragon while it was flying low. Lana followed up Link's attack with another bolt of lightning. In his dragon form, Onox was practically invincible but also a bit out of touch with reality. His negatively charged body was extremely attractive to Link's iron boots.

To the onlookers, the next part of the fight was gruesome. As Onox struggled to overcome the eletricity embodying him, Link slashed the dragon's body everywhere he could and made a bloody mess. It took considerable effort for Link to finally tear into the head of the dragon and send the demon stalling into the ground with him on board.

The half-humanoid menace uttered his last words: "You killed me! Onox, General of Darkness. Destruction...is yours."

Link hopped off the dragon before he could lose his balance and kicked at the corpse in disgust. The Gorons and members of the Sheik Battalion gathered around his side. The lesser monsters were all fleeing and did not seem worthwhile to chase.

Shad broke the silence. "It's a strange victory, but by Din, I'll take it!"

Sahasrahla appeared with Tingle and wounded Alfonzo from the rear. "Well done soldiers, well done! That was unbelievable teamwork that Master Link and Lana our honorable enchantress had!"

Lana gave Zelda the credit. "It was your princess's idea."

"Lana," Zelda began, "how is it that you know who I am?"

The sorceress giggled but shrugged mischievously. Perhaps she could literally see through the Sheikah garb?

Darunia, the Goron leader, explained, "That fairy Navi of yours is a blabbermouth."

The purple insect took insult as was evidenced by her squeaks. She thumped her body at the Goron elder but took much more damage than she inflicted. Everyone smiled in amusement as a relaxed silence fell over the victorious warriors. Zelda finally had a chance to talk to the Gorons personally.

"Darunia...and all the strong fighters of the Goron brotherhood," she turned around to make eye contact with them all, "I wish to convey our appreciation and also our regret for the sacrifices made in your stiff resistance against this infernal demon Ganondorf. I know that many of your brothers were buried alive in the many tunnels around the historic Goron lands."

There was an awkward pause as everyone accepted the truth.

"But Onox's violent disturbance in Death Mountain surely made these ancient tunnels the graves of many brave Gorons. We must not—must never forget what your people gave up here for the sake of Hyrule. I thank you."

Zelda's tiny speech elicited tears from many Gorons that had lost their loved ones in Ganondorf's attack. Even Link looked sobered by the realization that no one was being saved in the liberation of Death Mountain. Mikau seemed a little proud yet embarrassed at the same time. His people, the Zoras, had not wanted him to help Hyrule. Perhaps if all the Zoras had entered the fight sooner, the massacre of the Gorons and the Gerudo civil war could have been avoided?

000

The Sheik Battalion stayed overnight to take part in the memorial service for all the Gorons that had fallen. After their initial sniffles and tears, the rock-bodied people buried who they could find and put on a straight face like Link. The brotherhood was ready to move on and see to it that Hyrule was made safe again. The Gorons had something in common with Ganondorf: they always got revenge.

A small ceremeony was organized by Lana to allow everyone to give their respects to the fallen warriors. Althought the corpses of many could not be found, the Gorons knew from their census records who was missing and likely to never show up again. A saddeningly long list of names was written by Lana herself for Darunia to read to the Goron people so they would never forget.

He cleared his throat and said, "These are the names of our fallen brothers in no particular order. Our four elders, Gor Amoto, Gor Liggs, Gor Coron, and Gor Ebizo. Aji. Vesuvius. Pyle. Beshta. Dangoro. Bayge. Kabetta. Darmani. Darbus. Daruk. Graceful. Heehl. Mercante. Rogaro. Fugo. Gorko. Greyson. Mara. Taliso. Gortram."

Darunia paused to take a breath.

"These were strong fighters; they didn't run like we did; they stood their ground and defended our land to the death. Learn from their example, Brothers. We'll get Ganondorf for this, and we'll break the neck of every monster to show the world that we don't take abuse and that we fight for what's right. This battle ain't ova' yet. We're gonna moider Ganondorf and all his spineless cuccos." Darunia changed his tone quickly. "Now that we've laid away our fallen, what do ya say we celebrate our victory?"

The remorseful Gorons cheered in agreement to hide their grief.

"Yeah! That's what I like to hear! I want a hot beat to dance to and some good old lava juice for a change!"

The Gorons soon had a party going that was full of music and large doses of addictive drinks. The Sheik Battalion separated from the roughians to let them eat their rocks in private. Lana followed them and decided she should properly introduce herself.

"Princess," she asked.

Zelda looked back. "Yes, Lana?"

The White Sorceress looked at the strange Sheik Battalion. Old and well-dressed Sahasrahla; young Link, Karane, and Pipit; Shad with his glasses; Impa, Zelda, and Ashei with their ninja suits; Alfonzo, with his Hylian army uniform; Mikau, who was a fish out of water; and Tingle who looked like a freak—they were all perfect in Lana's point of view.

"I want you to know that you can trust me. I may be a sorceress, and I may use monsters and other garbage, but I'm willing to recognize the legitimate government of Hyrule as sovereign." Lana looked at Link whom she was developing a crush on. "But I need'a ask, what the heck are you doing?"

Karane giggled and Pipit had to control his grin.

Zelda answered politely, "Link and I are on a quest to find a prized relic. We have been helping the races of Hyrule defeat Ganondorf's minions. Our journey is close to an end though. You are welcome to join us."

Impa seemed to disprove of Zelda's offer because she did not trust Lana that much.

The White Sorceress declined gracefully. "Thanks, but I shouldn't. These Gorons are a mess without me. Besides, I need to watch Cia."

Zelda nodded. "I heard that you had captured her."

"Yep. No need to worry now though. She's scared out of her wits. We're good here." Lana paused. "Anyway, Darunia and I will be on standby. Just send your little fairy and tell us what to do when you need help."

Zelda thought for a little while and then asked, "Lana, do you think you and the Gorons can begin an assault on Hyrule proper tomorrow?"

"Well...it'll be tough, but, I mean, I guess we could. What's the objective?"

Zelda asked Tingle for a map and then showed Lana the frontline. Impa seemed especially interested in what the princess had in mind. Zelda pointed at the map with a stick.

"The Zoras and the Army of the Goddesses can begin their assault tomorrow east of Kakariko here. A smaller contingent will move out from Mido Harbor here and reclaim Kokiri. The Gerudo and Castillians might even be able to manage some small raids in the north. I was hoping you could get to Lake Hylia by nightfall tomorrow."

Lana was shocked. How had sixteen-year-old Zelda become a military thinker after growing up alone in the middle of a forest?

"Princess, is this you speaking or your Triforce?"

Zelda finally acknowledged something she hated about herself. "Ever since...Maleficent attacked me...I have felt a little bit possessed by Hylia."

Sahasrahla knew what Zelda meant. She was not acting like herself because she had a pressing duty that required the use of her supernatural power. Link could not understand what Zelda was going through though. He just wanted the girl he once knew in Kokiri to come back.

Lana noted, "This attack brings us dangerously close to Ganondorf and the capital. Do you have big plans in mind?"

"Actually, yes, I intend to find Link the Master Sword tomorrow and attack Hyrule Castle the following day."

As Zelda spoke, she glowed. She glowed with the power of Hylia. All Link needed was his completer, and the Chosen Ones would be fully capable of taking down Demise's curse. A climax was near.

000 


	29. Level 7: Rocky Ridge

Chapter 29: Level 7: Rocky Ridge

Zelda's plan was not just bold; it was downright crazy. She intended to find the Master Sword and completely defeat Ganondorf in two consecutive days. It seemed she did not care that the southern Tal Tal Heights were chaotic both politically and militarily. Though there was a frigid mess up there, nothing could stop her resolution.

Not far from the Zoras in the west, Nayru and Din, who were hostile to all magic users, held sparse Hylian cities that towered up to 20,000 feet above sea level. Likewise, in the central mountains, Bryne and his defectors were stirring up the semi-autonomous towns where a few people of mixed origins lived. The east (where the Master Sword lay according to the ancient map Impa found on Stone Watcher Island) was controlled by lords—rebels who had taken advantage of Ganondorf's coup to secede from Hyrule and make their own tiny city-states.

After a lively night in the Goron's land, the Sheik Battalion said their goodbyes to Lana, Tael, and Darunia and set off for the consummation of their perilous journey. The map they had received indicated that the Master Sword was somewhere in the east near the old fortress city of Eldin high atop the mountains. With Tingle's navigating skills, Zelda led her warriors to the prize that was the objective of their glorious escapades.

As the Sheik Battalion made a slow climb up the Tal Tal Heights, it met many travelers, goat herders, and wandering merchants, some of which seemed totally unaware of Ganondorf's descent upon Hyrule Castle. Link came across the fellow he had met before defeating Maleficent (the Happy Mask Salesman) and also met another young man named Beedle selling useful ware from a unique, airborne blimp that acted as a mobile shop. Unable to resist, the youthful Hero climbed up into the shop and kept the Skeik Battalion waiting as he gave himself generous time to decide what to purchase.

"What on earth is taking that boy so long?" Impa was getting exasperated.

Zelda curled an eyebrow. "I do not know, but I am about to find out."

With the eyes of the Sheik Battalion upon her, the princess walked over to the rope connecting Beedle's airship to the ground and proceeded to climb up it with ease. If it were not for Zelda's Sheikah finger cots protecting her skin, the vertical haul upward would have been quite painful. How did Link do it? Sahasrahla could almost feel his arms ache at the sight of the young girl ruining her delicate palms on the rough straw.

Impa cautioned her, "Sheik, be careful!"

Still annoyed that Impa was overusing her callsign, the princess replied, "Always wary, but never cautious." That must have been her motto.

When Zelda entered Beedle's shop with her form-fitting disguise, she found many surprises. The airship was filled with gears that slowly turned as the owner pedaled his stationary bicycle to power the craft. It did not seem to make much sense that the airship could be kept airborne like that though. Zelda saw Link examining a gold colored piece of metal quite intently and spotted a huge heart-shaped crsytaline structure that lay on the counter. It looked weird. The whole shop was weird; even Beedle was weird.

Zelda cleared her throat, but Link only responded with a quick nod.

"Link, please hurry. We do not have time to dawdle on useless things."

"This isn't useless," claimed the Hero. "It's a bug medal."

Zelda's voice strained. "A 'what'?"

Beedle explained between breaths, "A bug medal—a badge that will reveal rare insects to the wearer. It's worth a thousand ruppees."

Zelda had heard some ludicrous fairytales before, but never had she heard such a silly thing as a bug medal. "Link, come on; you are being conned."

Beedle did not like Zelda's attitude toward his business. "Masked man, if you insist upon standing around insulting my merchandise and bothering my customer, I am left with no choice but to dump you out. Off with you!"

Beedle took a hand off his bike for a moment to pull a cord that triggered a trap door to open right under Zelda's feet. The princess plunged down to the ground from the height of the blimp but luckily fell into Impa's sturdy frame. The two Sheikah fell to the ground with a yell and a bump, and Navi took to her usual screams of murder.

"Oh my! Are you okay?!" The fairy moved in a motion that best resembled the swell of a sea tide.

Impa was a little vexed that everybody was worrying about the princess when it was she who really took most of the blow.

Zelda did not answer Navi but expressed her shock from Beedle's treatment. "I cannot believe he just did that to me."

Mikau came to the princess's aid. "WHO pushed you off?"

Zelda's eyes and mouth straightened symmetrically. "The owner forcefully ejected me."

The tempestuous Zora was ready to manhandle the guy that dared put Zelda in danger. "What a *****! I oughta punch him in the—"

Mikau was interrupted by a strange noise that Link made as he gracefully slid down the rope leading up to Beedle's shop. Impa, still on the ground with Zelda sitting on her, looked to Link for help. He promptly came to Zelda's side to make sure she was not injured by the unexpected twelve-foot jump and helped her get up. Zelda must have been quite heavy because Impa had to rub her legs to get the blood moving after being nearly squashed by the princess.

Zelda touched Link's arm before he could get away. "Link, you did not buy that silly charm from that horrid man, did you?"

Though partially hidden under Zelda's Sheikah mask, the puppy face she gave him was still unbearable. For the love of Nayru, why did she have to be so cute? Link did not know what to think of Zelda. Sometimes she seemed like she was his best friend, and sometimes she showed no love whatsoever; sometimes she was excessively bossy, and sometimes she was wonderfully submissive. Sometimes she seemed like nothing more than Hylia incarnate headstrong on defeating Ganon, and sometimes she seemed like she had the tenderness and feelings of any other girl. And on top of all that, Link had visions from Ganon of past incarnations of her confusing him.

Link closed his eyelids briefly and let his arm freeze in motion. "I would never give a man who treats you so poorly any of my money."

Even Zelda's Sheik disguise could not hide her blush. Link wondered for a moment whether all the muscle he was seeing on her arms was real or an illusion. Did the princess actually use magic on her own flesh to transform herself into a agile, boy-like Sheikah? And what about her chest?

"Impa!" Karane came leaping back from her forward position.

Seeing their scout retreating in panick, Shad, Ashei, and Pipit revealed their weapons and rushed to protect the Chosen Ones. After four full days of cheerfulness and optimism, Sahasrahla was beginning to show some signs of fatigue and frustration. It did not help that he spent most of his time talking with panicky Tingle while the rest of Zelda's battalion was fighting.

"What is the matter?!" Impa asked with wide eyes.

Unlike Navi, Karane knew to take a moment to breathe before explaining. "I think we've been spotted because a small group of about fifteen men left the city's gates with a foreign flag and are headed here!"

Link mumbled to himself, "Never a break..."

For a second, the ice queen inside Zelda made an overtly hateful squint. "So Eldin has not only become a rebel faction, but also intends to attack us..." The princess switched to Sheik mode and barked quick orders, "Impa, take Shad and Ashei and hold off those forces until Link and I are ready. Karane and Pipit will support you. Sahasrahla and Tingle, go to the ridge behind us. Navi, take to the skies and let us know if any more combatants leave the city. Mikau and Alfonzo, go on the right flank by those bushes and wait for me."

As Zelda spoke, the Sheik Battalion dispersed rapidly with absolute trust in the princess and her Triforce of Wisdom. In less than a minute, Link and Zelda were alone. Unfortunately, the former could not refrain from excessively ogling over Zelda's legs which were distinctively outlined in the clingy blue material she wore.

Zelda crossed her arms. "Your head is in the clouds, and your eyes are on the ground. Do you have no sense of danger?"

Link shook himself and cockily responded, "I seldom pay attention to it."

"Well, you had better pay close attention now, or I might get hurt."

Zelda stared at Link for a visible reaction. She was beginning to see that the best way to control Link was to pry at his conscious. It was easy to manipulate him if she put herself in danger.

As expected, Link immediately lost his cool demeanor and asked in a small voice, "What is your plan this time?"

Zelda smiled, satisfied that she now knew how to keep Link focused on his duty. "We will use psychological warfare. I want you to openly reveal what we are fighting for. These are sane Hylians after all, and they should obey us."

Link was a little unsure of what she had in mind, but he had the courage to follow through with anything reasonable. He probably had the courage to follow through with anything unreasonable too. Wisdom was something he was temporarily borrowing from Zelda until he sorted out his own crazy life. Growing up in Kokiri made Link awkward, Castillian knightship made him overconfident, time travel sapped his knowledge, and Ganon confused him. He was at an unusual disadvantage.

"Let us go."

Link nodded and led the way.

The small battleground was of remarkable interest. Eldin was a fully encompased fortress city that lay at the top of a rocky ridge. The eastern half was much too steep to traverse. In the west where the Sheik Battalion was, the mottled landscape slowly inclined upward to the level plateau above. Dotting the space between Zelda and Eldin were small hills, large boulders, and a few low-lying shrubs and trees.

To Link's left, Impa and her squad were hiding behind a large, smooth rock with Karane and Pipit nearby using a natural crevice as a trench from which to shoot their arrows. On the right, Mikau and Alfonzo layed low under the cover of thin green bushes that gave the illusion of invisibility with their hundreds on tiny laurel green leaves. Ahead, the enemy was slowing making its way toward Link with light armor and longswords.

Something about the scene seemed like a fairytale or a dream. Link had never fought a "normal" battle between two equal foes on an even playing field with no magic and pure honor. Atop the Tal Tal Heights, the view range was amazing and the clouds looked almost touchable. A small storm developing in the distance created a golden yellow lighting that shined through the gray cumulonimbus and only added to the fantastical appeal. Link could see Navi and a few birds flying above and a wild white orchid growing unseen under the shadow of a horrid ragweed below.

In his daydreaming, Link realized that someone had spoken to him. "Pardon?"

The straightbacked figure speaking to him showed no sign of anger. "Ye traveling people yonder, I ask again, what business have you here? Why is it you bear weapons but show no flag or coat of arms? You are tresspassing the sovereign land of the Eldinians."

The green teenager stood up to face the towering man addresssing him. "We are a part of the Army of the Goddesses and represent the legitimate government of Hyrule. It is imperative that you let me through to—"

"Hold on, lad, this is not Hyrule's domain any longer. I will answer to no requests or threats made by you."

Zelda shouted out in the most manly voice she could manage, "Treason!"

The spokesmen seemed offended. "Treason? Really? Hyrule and its government alienated Eldin by taking no heed to protect its people from foreign invasion. I and my knights took it upon ourselves to defend this city and make the monumental decision to secede from Hyrule, mainly because its do-nothing royal family could never live up to its promises."

Zelda was now highly offended. "What promises!?"

"I do not see how can you ask 'what.' Perhaps I need to mention that unlike the Zoras, Gorons, and others, we have had to pay taxes to support the government and army, yet have we ever received any financial support or protection? Hyrule castle has been filled with corrupt people. Do you by any chance recall when the king appointed Chancilor Cole to be in charge of the Bureau of the Mint? That was stupidity beyond which words can gratify!"

Link tried to make his own justification for Hyrule's negligence. "This kingdom has been greatly damaged by Maleficent and Ganondorf. Surely you—"

"You blame Hyrule's lack of integrity on Maleficent, the one who singlehandedly managed to deceive the army and the royal court for over a decade? That is but another great example of Hyrule's lack of skilled leaders. And you dare mention Ganondorf? The willful desertion of the royal court from the nation's capital when that demon of old appeared is, in my opinion, the worst example of cowardice I have ever seen in my entire life."

Zelda literally growled out loud. "You are a filthy traitor."

"No, I am Lord Alhader, leader of the free people of Eldin." He paused to let that sink in. "I bore of this conversation and do not wish to have your opinion forced on me; therefore, I will give you two simple choices: leave or fight me and my men."

Link declared, "We're coming through here, and you can't stop us."

One of Alhader's men smelled a rat and warned, "I believe he intends to use sorcery, my lord."

Alhader unsheathed his double-bladed weapon and smiled devilishly. "Let him."

The swift ambush that followed was not something the rebel militia was ready for. The Sheik Battalion had no rules in war; anything that brought about victory was fair by them. As soon as Alhader drew his sword, Karane and Pipit shot arrows at two of the enemy knights' legs and disabled both of them. Zelda's modest six soldiers rushed to take on Alhader's remaining thirteen with no regards for proper chivalric combat.

Link quickly knocked out three knights with a spin attack using the blunt end of his blade, and Impa reduced two more to grunts and groans with well-aimed kicks. By the time Alhader was ready to fight, Shad and Ashei took down two more knights. Zelda's warriors were then at a position where they could each duel one enemy knight without worrying about being assaulted from another direction.

Alhader showed his teeth at the bottom of his nasal helmet. "You fight like dogs!"

Link took on Alhader himself, but found the man to be almost as skilled as Dark Link. Meanwhile, Karane and Pipit rushed in to help the Resistance, and Zelda used her own experimental powers to paralyze the two enemies that Mikau and Alfonzo were fighting. Seeing that all but one of his knights were falling and that the Sheik Battaltion was surrounding him, Alhader shouted to the rear for some previously unnoticed knights to come help.

However, as the rebel lord turned his head to speak, Link put all his might into hitting Alhader's sword and snapped it in half. Impa likewise removed the sword from the grip of the last knight standing and held him down with the help of Shad and Ashei. Even though reinforcements were right behind him, Alhader knew he could not continue the fight with Link's sword now poking at his neck.

The Hero threatened, "Surrender or die!"

Alhader put one of his hands in the air and gestured to his followers. "Gentlemen," he called to the knights behind him, "as you can see, further resistance is hopeless." Alhader turned to Link and Impa but did not reveal his fear. "I know not what you want, and I am disgusted by your lack of etiquette in battle, but the circumstances leave me no choice. Promise me you will not harm the citizens of Eldin, and I will surrender the fort."

Zelda was hesitant to accept the traitorous man's word. "Why should we grant you any terms? What is our security?"

Alhader did not seem to understand how anyone could expect something greater than a verbal promise. "I give you my word of honor; I swear in the name of Hylia! What more do you want?"

"How about you surrender your weapons?" Impa suggested with a smirk.

Alhader dipped his head down—the first sign of humility in him. "Gentlemen, you heard the request. Remove your scabbards."

Alhader's men first appeared as though they were going to disobey, but with the loss of their pride and a few sighs, they surrendered their weapons one by one. Although all the knights wore the same exact uniform, the men seemed to have a wide range of physical appearances, age gaps, and characters.

Lord Alhader then asked meekly but almost sarcastically, "Now that you have savagely injured my men, will you have the heart to let us nurse our wounded?"

Zelda looked back at the fallen knights, especially the two she had used magic on, and suddenly felt heavy with guilt. Yes, they were rebels, and yes, none were killed, but still, attacking her own people felt very wrong. The undercover princess quickly gave permission for Alhader to tend to his men and even offered the help of her own soldiers.

While Tingle and the Eldinian knights helped the wounded under Impa's supervision, Zelda and Link interrogated Alhader with Sahasrahla. Unknown to the rebels, Mikau and Alfonzo stepped away to scout and make sure that Alhader was sincerely giving up and not just waiting for massive reinforcements to come out of the gates of the city. However, the Sheik Battalion found nothing incriminating. Navi was extremely helpful in concluding that the rest of Eldin was unready and unwilling to fight.

Alhader sat down next to Sahasrahla and asked, "Well, Hyrulean loyalists, pray tell me why you have come here to shed our blood? Do you simply wish to reclaim Eldin for the crown or are there ulterior motives that do not reveal themselves to any but the clever eyed?"

Link looked at Zelda who nodded, and then he got right down to business. "We seek the Master Sword."

Alhader's expression changed multiple times as he realized what was going on. "I—I did not catch your name, lad."

"Link."

Alhader gulped. By Din, he knew who Link was! Link was the angel of Hylia. Link was Zelda's— the princess of destiny's—own Hero! Alhader knew he was in trouble. Fighting the Hero reincarnate was a sure sign that he was on the wrong side. Yep, Alhader had really blown it.

"I—I suppose you are here under the pr—princess's orders?"

"I am."

Alhader shrugged and said in a small voice, "Woe is me." He put his head down and covered his eyes with his sweaty palms and vividly imagined being imprisoned, hanged, or both. "Why didn't you—why did you resort to violence? Though it is true I separated from Hyrule, I would never stand in the way of a Chosen One."

"We too are sorry," Zelda admitted.

Alhader changed his mind in a flash. "Wait a minute! If you were indeed the Hero, why would you be standing on this ground with an army!" He stood up and began shouting.

Link kept cool. "I don't need you to confirm my authentication."

Alhader felt deceived. "And I do not need to tell you anything, you witches!"

Sahasrahla exclaimed, "For all that's good, Alhader, will you please calm down? You are making a terrible mistake. These two children before you are seeking the greater good."

Alhader's voice whined. "What do you mean, 'these two'?!"

Zelda stood up and decided it was time to turn herself in. "Lord Alhader, you are speaking to royalty."

With a blur of light and magic, Zelda translated back into her true form, dressed in the same gown she wore when she had reentered Hyrule nearly a week earlier. Link was almost as shocked as Alhader was; he had forgotten how beautiful she was. Hidden under the disguise of a male Sheikah, Zelda had lost much of her feminine charm.

A hazy film of tears developed in Alhader's eyes as several of his knights saw the princess for the first time. How was he to have known? He had a hunch that trying to secede from Hyrule was going to ruin him for good. Would Zelda condemn him and the rest of Eldin for treason, or was there any way he could possibly make amends? At least he had the comfort of knowing that a virtuous monarch was going to inherit the throne.

"I am taking a risk, but I believe there is a way I can help you and clear my own suspicions."

Zelda, in her full glorious splendor, folded her gloved hands. "And what is it you have in mind, Alhader?"

The aged lord knew he was being bold. "Well, the famous sword you speak of is supposedly in our hands."

"So I have heard." Zelda was so attractive when she acted like the princess she really was.

Alhader offered, "If you will enter the city, I can bring you to the shrine where it lays."

Zelda was suspicious herself. She had absolutely no reason to trust Alhader. "How is it that you know where the sword is when there is no one in the entire nation that has seen it in centuries?"

Alhader stiffled a chuckle. "A certain witch named Maleficent once tried to seize the helm of an old relic that was nothing to us but an inspiration for fairytales. She nearly killed herself trying to pull it. I have kept it under guard ever since. Our circumstances make me believe it is what you seek."

Zelda and Link decided it was worth a try. However, to ensure Alhader would not betray them, Impa stayed behind with her squad to watch over the Eldinian knights outside the city while Mikau, Alfonzo, and Sahasrahla accompanied the Chosen Ones. Meanwhile, Navi remained hovering over Eldin to keep on eye out for any threats. Alhader led the princess into the ancient city himself and told the people he had been forced to surrender to the crown.

The attitude the small city had towards Zelda was strange. They did not hate her, but neither did they show any joy in meeting the youngest member of the royal family. As the princess passed by curious homeowners, they bowed their heads humbly, but more out of fear than respect. In a short while, the flag that flew over the city was exchanged for a white cloth signifying their complete, unconditional surrender. In all fairness, Eldin was a renegade province and should be treated as such. The people were well aware that Zelda's opinion of them was what decided their fate.

After a short walk, Alhader stopped the princess's small procession and showed her into a large, temple-like shrine. Inside were various fountains and statues dedicated to the goddesses. A few devout priests knelt before Zelda as though she were Hylia herself and would have kissed her feet had she not stopped them. She found the gesture to be quite disgusting and was highly insulted when people treated her as a goddess and not a Hylian as she really was.

Alhader opened up a purple veil and showed the princess into a dimly-lit room whose candles were absurdly long. As an extra precaution, Mikau and Alfonzo were left behind at the temple's entrance to prevent any attempt by the Eldinians to lock the Chosen Ones in the shrine. Sahasrahla and Link followed Lord Alhader and the fluffy pink gown that was Zelda into a partially underground museum that was filled with buried treasures of diverse sorts.

Alhader explained why that part of the shrine had been left alone. "For most of Eldin's history, the priests have prevented people from excavating this area because it is, and I quote, 'sacred.' Of course, I am not a very religious man, so I do not really know about these sorts of things, but I thought perhaps it was related to the sword."

Link thought it looked like an awesome place. Several feet below the ground, the area was covered in the same rock layer that formed the ridge which surrounded Eldin. Unpolished ruppees, furniture, broken metals, and weapons were stuck in the rocks as though lava had once settled on top of them and quickly dried. Over the years, the rocks had slowly eroded until things starting becoming visible again. The handle of a damaged sword displayed itself in the deepest corner of the shrine.

"Here it is." Alhader put his hand on the rusted metal.

Sahasrahla's mouth was hanging wide open. "Amazing."

Zelda looked at the tip of the sword and found it to be very disappointing. It bore no lavish color, no engravings, and was even missing half of its handle. It was not even pointing straight into the ground and instead appeared to be stabbing down and outward. The real Master Sword was usually found in a pedestal with lavish decoration and was rumored to be purple. The sword Zelda saw just looked like an old piece of junk.

Alhader did not like their disappointed frowns. "Well, what are you waiting for? I know this looks like a poorly executed trick on my part, but please, give it a try! I have already committed crimes worthy of death; therefore, I have nothing to lose. And as for you, Link, if you are who you claim you to be, this sword will not hurt you. But I will warn that if you are not the Hero with a pure heart, the blade will reject you and bring much harm."

Zelda was almost shaking with anxiety. "Go on, Link! Free the blade from its slumber!"

Link swallowed hard and cleared his throat. He prayed a little thank you to the goddesses for arranging to have Navi be busy while he attempted the hardest thing in his life. Sahasrahla gave him a big smile of support, and Zelda even gave his left hand a squeeze. Link took a big breath, cleared his mind, snapped his knuckles, and took a big step towards destiny. He closed his eyes and stretched his hand out.

"Link, wait!" Zelda interrupted and made him jump. "Before you do try, is there anything on your conscience that you would like to voice before going through with this?"

Link seriously considered her suggestion. One thing came to mind: his juvenile infatuation with Zelda despite her betrothal to Phillip. Even though the prince was dead, Link felt there was a certain degree of respect he had snuffed because of his flirtatious behavior toward Zelda. That one thing really bothered him. The more Link thought about it, the less worthy he felt. Phillip was gone because of his not being there to protect him, and to make matters worse, Link was now thinking of trying to win over the prince's would-be wife. It felt wrong.

"Zelda?"

She did not bother correcting his lack of formality. "Yes, Link?"

"I want to apologize for letting your betrothed, Prince Phillip, die."

Zelda softened. "Oh, Link, please do not put that on yourself."

Link nodded and felt a small relief. He still did not think kindly of his instinctive affection for the princess standing before him though. Who did he think he was anyway? He was her guardian, not her lover! Orphan boys were not suitable for royalty, even if he was a Triforce holder.

Sahasrahla pushed him on. "Go ahead!"

Link flexed his muscles, sighed once more, and cast his fate to the wind. He slowly, ever so slowly, nudged his hand closer to the blade and thought he saw the handle become bright with a cool blue hue. A gasp escaped Zelda, and Alhader looked white enough to faint.

"I'm living through a legend!" Sahasrahla cried out.

As the old man spoke, Link's hand came within inches of the blade, and a blue spark jumped the distance between the hilt and his closest finger. The last thing he heard before blacking out was Zelda calling his name.

"Master..."

Link felt like he was floating in water—no, like he was flying in the clouds. He took a step forward and felt his body wobble under his blurred vision.

"Master..."

A voice, one whose quality seemed immaculate, called out to Link like cold air blowing through a drafty window. He could not sense the direction. All around him was a blurry, hazy, pale baby blue that seemed to funnel upward. He looked around himself, and although he could see nothing distinct, he felt like the view range was infinite.

"Master, it is time for me to awaken."

Link turned around and was surprised to see a faint silhouette of a person. The figure seemed to be wearing large bulging sleeves. As Link studied the image, it slowly became more clear and more purple in color unlike the pure blue surrounding it.

"Master, listen to me. Her Grace has awakened me because she sensed a frailty in your resolve. You must have faith."

The figure actually did not have arms, but rather wings. Link did not know what to think of it. The person had eye sockets, but no eyeballs; she had wings but no arms; half her torso was colored one way, half another; her feet never touched the invisible floor Link stood upon. What WAS she?

"Master, my consciousness has momentarily returned to me, but I calculate that there is a 98% chance that you do not know who I am."

"Who are you?" Link asked.

"Master, I am your former servant Fi, the spirit of the blade which you seek."

Link was confused. "Okay?"

"I understand that you might not remember your former self, but you must have faith in who you are."

Link could have sworn he knew who Fi was, but he just could not place the name. The spirit of Ganon's distorted visions that Link had received were not very clear as to who people were and why seemingly unrelated demons such as Ganondorf, Vaati, and Ghirahim were all connected to one entity.

"Master,"

Link hesitated. "Yes...Fi?"

"I have something important to tell you."

Link was a little bit alarmed. "What is it?"

"When you draw the blade, you will not return it."

Link could not make sense of what she meant. "I don't really understand."

Fi explained, "You will keep the sword for your entire life, for you will need it always. After you pass from this life, the sword is to be returned to the forest for another life."

"What forest?" Link asked.

"It matters not. Time has a way of working things out." Fi paused for a moment but could not show her despair. "I feel my consciousness fading yet again. It is time for us to part. Master,"

"Yes, Fi?"

"I am sorry you had to be cursed, but I promise that I will always be with you for eternity."

"Fi?" Link asked in vain.

She faded and there was no answer.

"Thank you."

"He's awakening!"

Zelda straddled the green boy with her enormous skirt making him look like a pillow. "Link! Are you all right?! Link? Why are you crying?"

The Hero quickly sniffed away his brief moment of weakness and said he was all right.

Alhader was flustered and worried. "Well, this is a shame. I thought for sure that—"

In a flash, Link was up and had both of his hands around the blade, and the whole thing was aflame in blue. The place where part of the handle had broken off outlined itself with a laserlike blue projection that slowly repaired itself by filling in with pure metal. The signature purple hue returned to the hilt, and the Triforce decoration lit up in brilliant golden light.

So hard was Link's struggle to pull it from the rock it was imbedded in, that he soon resorted to using both his feet to push in the opposite direction. That is, he was standing with his body lying parallel to the ground, his feet on the wall, and his hands holding him up in their supernatural grip of the blade that recognized him. Of course, when the sword gave way, Link fell flat on his back.

Zelda helped him up, and without a word being said by anybody, Link raised the one true Master Sword to the sky and watched it glow with its stunning radiancy. Zelda was hypnotized by the immense power exuding off of it. Sahasrahla felt that his life of research and study was complete.

Alhader now had nothing to disprove Link and Zelda's legitimacy and begged, "Forgive me, your highness. I have been deceived and led Eldin astray. Whatever punishment you enact for Eldin's attempted secession, press it on me, for it is I who am guilty of treason as you said."

Zelda and Link stood by each other in their prime with their minds clear, their bodies young, and their powers ready. They were unstoppable together and dangerous alone. Theirs was the Triforce, and though the two young adults were not necessarily perfect, their intention was to destroy the Great Evil no matter the cost. They were unquestionably the true defenders of all that was good.

Zelda was forgiving. "I will give you a second chance if you and your men can show bravery and help me and Link."

Alhader bowed. "I am your prisoner. Whatever you name, I shall do."

Zelda looked at Link and Sahasrahla for confirmation and then said, "If you wish to prove your loyalty to me and Hyrule and help the greater good, join us and all the races of Hyrule tomorrow in our grand liberation of Castle Town and the surrounding areas from that demonic man Ganondorf."

"I will be honored." The lord bounced up with a sudden appearance of youth.

Sahasrahla patted Link on the back and told him, "Now that you have the Blade of Evil's Bane. Hyrule can surely be saved!"

"Hyrule will be saved," Zelda promised.

000 


End file.
